Is English as a<i>Lingua Franca</i>Translation’s Defining Moment?

Abstract

This paper sets out to examine how the professional translation market is affected by the presence of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). After examining competing definitions both of ‘ELF’ and ‘translation’, attention is drawn to the current state of the translation market, and in particular to the potential difficulties that arise when (i) non-native speakers translate into English, and (ii) ELF texts are used as source texts. The importance of considering translational – as opposed to purely linguistic – choices is stressed. Reference is also made to the value that is given to a text in translation. After considering the implications for translator training of the presence of ELF in the translation market, the paper concludes firstly by sketching out the issues that translation theory needs to address, and secondly by underlining the dangers that the spread of ELF represents both for the translating profession and for the translation market.