Abstract (eng)
Obstacles in knowledge transfer in natural sciences often derive from problems related to the understanding of mono- or multilingual communication, the administration and accessibility of information, or to an influence of prestige, morals, personal interest, and conventions. Translation—seen as multifaceted transformation of texts under consideration of context and function, or “diascopic translation”, in Prunč’s terms—plays a vital role in this process. However, professional translators seem to be involved only marginally in scientific knowledge transfer: A survey conducted with research institutes in Austria, Germany and Switzerland indicates a prevalence of individuals with university degrees in natural sciences. In some cases, scientific qualifications are complemented by linguistic skills or experience. As a result, the limited significance of education in the field of translation studies becomes apparent. Furthermore, research on knowledge transfer seldom includes translation and translation studies as functional concepts. Often, translation is seen as a purely interlingual process. In this paper, however, it is argued that any kind of text production and revision constitutes a form of (diascopic) translation. From this perspective, the role of professional translators could be expanded. This point of view could also lead to higher visibility of strategies and theories rooted in translation studies and practice, and may allow for their useful application in knowledge transfer.