Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PHILTRANS (Philosophy as Translation: Toward a Translational Education)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-09-01 bis 2025-08-31
The conviction at the heart of this project is that philosophy can no longer postpone systematic reflection on translation. This is not only due to a widespread "translational turn" in the humanities but because translation is at the core of Europe and of philosophy itself. In the European multilingual context, translation represents one of the centripetal forces of European identity and community building. In order to fill the gap in the literature on translation in both the “continental” and the “analytic” tradition, I will continue an endeavour I have been pursuing for the past decade: putting translation at the centre of philosophical inquiry. This philosophy of translation must overcome the fracture between the two philosophical traditions opening a new inquiry field beyond their unilateral approaches. Throughout the history of thought, the reciprocal relation between translation and philosophy appears in two guises: on the one hand, as the translation of philosophy; on the other, as the philosophy of translation, i.e. as sporadic philosophical remarks on translation. My hypothesis is that there is an even more intimate relation between the two – one that concerns the practice and meaning of philosophy itself, which cannot do without a translational element. Translation is the motive force of philosophy; it is an inchoate and formative element of several philosophical projects, offering a transformation of the tradition’s texts and, more importantly, of the translator. In the second stage of the project, I will exploit the transformative and pedagogical dimension of translation in the context of education, fostering European multilingualism through designing specific pedagogical activities that will introduce translation into traditionally monolingual classes, e.g. philosophy classes in high schools and universities.
1.) The consolidation of the field of the philosophy of translation, both from a scientific and institutional point of view, through:
- The development of a conceptual framework specific to the philosophy of translation, starting with the authors who have reflected most on the subject (Schleiermacher, Benjamin, Heidegger, Derrida) and beyond them.
- The creation of the Research Center for the Philosophy of Translation (PHILTRA) based at the HI (https://www.fisppa.unipd.it/centro-PHILTRA/about-us(öffnet in neuem Fenster)). PHILTRA is a network of institutions, scholars, and doctoral students working both individually and synergistically on issues of the philosophy of translation.
2.) Rethinking translation, in order to underscore its transformative, self-reflexive, and critical dimension, through the analysis of the figure of the philosopher-translator, a figure that allows for a historical exploration of some case studies and, at the same time, highlights the intimate connection between philosophical and translational activity.
3.) Inquiring into the educative elements of translation. Thanks to the training in the philosophy of education at Kyoto University, I studied the implications that the philosophy of translation can have for the teaching of philosophy.
- The development of a conceptual framework specific to the philosophy of translation, starting with the authors who have reflected most on the subject (Schleiermacher, Benjamin, Heidegger, Derrida) and beyond them.
- The creation of the Research Center for the Philosophy of Translation (PHILTRA) based at the HI (https://www.fisppa.unipd.it/centro-PHILTRA/about-us(öffnet in neuem Fenster)). PHILTRA is a network of institutions, scholars, and doctoral students working both individually and synergistically on issues of the philosophy of translation.
2.) Rethinking translation, in order to underscore its transformative, self-reflexive, and critical dimension, through the analysis of the figure of the philosopher-translator, a figure that allows for a historical exploration of some case studies and, at the same time, highlights the intimate connection between philosophical and translational activity.
3.) Inquiring into the educative elements of translation. Thanks to the training in the philosophy of education at Kyoto University, I studied the implications that the philosophy of translation can have for the teaching of philosophy.
- Clarification of the conception of philosophy of translation through the intersection of three plans: philosophy in translation, philosophy on translation, and philosophy as translation.
- Recognition of a translational element at the core of philosophical praxis.
- Analysis of critical literature to explore the possible occurrence of the concept of philosopher-translator, clarification of my own conceptualisation, and exemplification through some case studies of some philosopher-translators.
- Exploitation of the educational potential of translation for philosophy teaching.
- Recognition of a translational element at the core of philosophical praxis.
- Analysis of critical literature to explore the possible occurrence of the concept of philosopher-translator, clarification of my own conceptualisation, and exemplification through some case studies of some philosopher-translators.
- Exploitation of the educational potential of translation for philosophy teaching.