Interdisciplinarity: key aspect in the conceptualization of Translation Studies as a field of knowledge

Abstract

This paper addresses the concept of interdisciplinarity (ID), a phenomenon that has featured strongly in specialised journals, papers and training programmes aiming to enhance interdisciplinary research and teaching initiatives in the field of Translation Studies (TS). Although there is a growing interest in this topic, also emphasized in the Bologna statements (Berlin Communiqué 2003), in fact we are dealing with a highly complex and ambiguous reality, thus claiming for a more precise conceptual and descriptive approach. Likewise we will identify hierarchical classifications of terms as the most common method to represent the interdisciplinarity continuum and the stages between its related terms according to the interaction degree among disciplines (Klein 1990: 56). In this sense, Kaindl’s terminological hierarchy (1999) will be highlighted as the main model in our study since it will be valuably used to assess the stages of ID in the epistemological level of Translation and Interpreting Studies. Following this analysis, the results reveal that the concept of ID is to be considered notably significant regarding the definition itself of the discipline of TS.