LE TOURNANT INTERCULTUREL DANS LA TRADUCTION

Abstract

Since the introduction in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR) of a recommendation with regards to the development in an intercultural competence, this idea is slowly gaining ground. The initial vague realization of its importance gave way to the genuine practice of an intercultural pedagogy. Of course, the Strasbourg commission who set up the Common European Framework didn’t invent the concept of interculturality from scratch, as the notion had already been circulating for a while, notably in the field of communication. Our paper sets out to problematize the importance of interculturality for both practical and theoretical aspects of translation. We will highlight the role of J.P. Ladmiral in the emergence of the notion as a key concept in contemporary translation studies. But, with the recognition of the role played by interculturality, comes the risk of transforming it into a new intellectual fad, with its clichés and mental laziness that impede understanding of the real challenges the notion poses. This is why we consider that it’s important to be more rigorous in its use and try to situate it in relation to rival concepts, within each particular field of studies. With respect to the field of translation, we will evaluate whether it is appropriate to speak of an actual intercultural turn, or merely of a shift in what scholars call the cultural turn.