Abstract
The study of ELF and of translation have been conducted with little reference to each other, yet they have a great deal of common ground, and would benefit from greater recognition of their common interests. Both are concerned with crosslinguistic communication in the unprecedented linguistic landscape of the 21st century. Both are central to the understanding and amelioration of contemporary problems. Both can be regarded as branches of applied linguistics. In addition, translation into English is increasingly both by and for non-native speakers. Having surveyed these similarities, the article explores how concepts and theories from translation studies are relevant to the study of ELF: notably the notions of nativisation and foreignisation, and polysystems theory, which conceives of change beginning in the interaction of systems and at their peripheries. In conclusion, the article discusses the range of crucial contemporary issues to which both ELF and translation are relevant and central, but points out some imbalances and omissions on both sides. It is suggested that given their importance in international and intranational issues of all kinds, and their relevance to other social sciences, the two fields of enquiry, expanded in range and working together, could be central rather than peripheral to applied linguistics.
About the author
Guy Cook is Professor of Language in Education at King's College, London. He has published extensively on applied linguistics, English-language teaching, and discourse analysis. He was co-editor of the journal Applied Linguistics from 2004–2009, and is current Chair of the British Association for Applied Linguistics (2009–2012). His books include Translation in Language Teaching (2010) (Winner of the International House Ben Warren Prize), Genetically Modified Language (2004), Applied Linguistics (2003), The Discourse of Advertising (2001), and Language Play, Language Learning (2000) (Winner of the MLA Kenneth Mildenberger Prize).
©[2012] by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
