Chapter 15. The Greek-speaking tradition

Abstract

The report on the Greek-speaking tradition focuses on the geographical area occupied by Greece and Cyprus. The Greek-speaking area has been practicing both intralingual and interlingual translation, with the former type enjoying much higher a prestige than the latter. Certain language policies and regimes, all rooted in historical developments, can be said to have influenced the translation policies followed. As regards literary genres and theatre, the policy has moved from a rather domesticating, self-reaffirming practice towards a more extrovert, foreignizing practice in recent years. As for other genres, such as media and legal translation, the policy tends to remain rather introvert

i.e. reaffirming the ethnic and state identity of the Greek-speaking area. As regards research on translation, “westernization” seems to have taken place in the way Greek-speaking scholars reflect on translation. This report also attempts to provide possible reasons for the conceptualization shifts that have occurred in the Greek-speaking tradition.