The Linguist

30 The Linguist Vol/63 No/1 thelinguist.uberflip.com REVIEWS Predicting the future of language is no easy task. Efforts made to date mostly pertain to the field of science fiction, although serious scientific research occasionally tries to foresee how human communication might evolve thousands of years hence. One interesting case involves the lasting danger of nuclear waste sites, where citizens of the distant future 'Paragraphs on Translation' graced the pages of The Linguist for many years. In this book, Professor Hermans traces his own development with 14 pivotal articles written over the course of a distinguished 35-year career. It is significant that the first section deals with the growth and, indeed, the status of Translation Studies, and how it has gone far past the rather pedestrian L1>L2 exercises for undergraduates of old. The second section looks beyond the academic status of the subject to consider the standing and role of translators themselves. In this way, Hermans reinforces the professional element in this field of work, something which Master's degrees have come to recognise increasingly over the years. The final section is a tour de force, tracing the development of thought and the practical approach to translation from the 16th century onwards in meticulous detail. However, Metatranslation is not simply a reprint of past lectures. Each item is prefaced by a detailed introduction which is worth reading in itself, as it establishes the context and explains the significance of the arguments presented by the original authors, which are drawn upon by way of illustration. Some of these are well known, such as John Dryden, whose margin notes on his 1697 translation of The Aeneid refer to an earlier translation by Sir John Denham. Other examples are taken from the works of Andrew Marvell and John Donne, while foreign sources range from Cervantes to the du Bellay cousins Guillaume and Joachim. There are also references to translators and commentators who will only be known to a specialist audience. A whole article is dedicated to Friedrich Schleiermacher, whose lecture to the Berlin Academy of Sciences in 1813 may be regarded as the starting point of Translation Studies. Metatranslation is a fascinating piece of work which displays the growth of both the author and his subject over many years. Although written with a specialist readership in mind, it will be readable, accessible and enjoyable for a wider audience. Professor Tim Connell HonFCIL Metatranslation Theo Hermans Routledge 2023, 288 pp; ISBN 978- 0367819590 Paperback, £34.99 must somehow be warned of the nearby health hazard. In 1981, the US Department for Energy launched a wide-ranging project to address this issue. Text was considered too ephemeral, while even iconic signs, such as lightning bolts and skeletons, could be misinterpreted. Various alternatives were put forward, which included breeding genetically engineered cats that would change colour in the presence of atomic radiation; unsurprisingly, none was ever adopted. When examining the forces most likely to shape our languages, Philip Seargeant, a linguist at the Open University, mainly concentrates on the intersecting influences of technology and politics. He examines the paradox whereby web platforms supposedly designed to foster global communication can become instruments of censorship. The power to protect free speech has effectively been taken out of the hands of democratically elected governments, as privately owned social media platforms accumulate an overwhelming capacity to control online discourse via their content moderation policies. Elsewhere, totalitarian states use their technology to monitor and suppress linguistic content, forcing people to employ ingenious strategies to circumvent online government censorship – Morse Code and even Elvish were used for messaging during the Covid crisis in China. Overall, these restrictive factors threaten linguistic freedom as we head into an uncertain future. On a less pessimistic note, The Future of Language: How technology, politics and utopianism are transforming the way we communicate discusses the development of brain-computer interfacing (BCI) which enables people with severe neurological conditions or paralysis to form words. Substantial progress is being made in translation technology, which (despite the concomitant damage to human language professionals) will facilitate communication among future generations. Generative AI tools are also likely to have a major impact, though for better or for worse is a moot point. As we learn in this enjoyable and well-researched book, whatever the future path taken by human language, we must be vigilant to ensure that it is free of coercion. Ross Smith MCIL CL The Future of Language Philip Seargeant Bloomsbury Academic 2023, 256 pp; ISBN 9781350278868 Hardback, £20 It is quite common to organise a Festschrift on behalf of an eminent academic, but in Metatranslation: Essays on translation and translation studies, Theo Hermans has created one all of his own. It will be surprising for many people to realise that Translation Studies, as an academic discipline, is very recent in the UK. Its origins lie in the teaching and writing of people like the late Peter Newmark, whose

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