The Linguist

28 The Linguist Vol/64 No/1 ciol.org.uk/thelinguist REVIEWS The Philosophy of Translation sounds slightly dull and obscure, but in fact it is one of the most readable books on either philosophy or translation that I have come across in recent years. Damion Searls is an eminent translator (60 books across four languages) and he also has a background in philosophy. The book begins with two very handy chapters on the history of 'translation' (in inverted commas) and a curious discussion as to how one should actually read like a translator. The three chapters on philosophy do look quite intimidating ('Perception and Affordance', for example) and there are detailed references to the thoughts of particular philosophers. However, it is all very accessible and suggests that much of this writing is based on years of lecturing. This is especially true in the final three chapters, which are also clearly based on Searls' years of experience as a professional translator. There is a wealth of examples taken from actual translation challenges, ranging from how to deal with the use of foreign words in the original text (War and Peace being an example) to the perennial question as to how to translate the untranslatable, with particular reference to cultural elements with which the reader is unlikely to be familiar. Another key question is whether it is legitimate to improve on the original, and to take it as a point of departure rather than as a set text which should simply be lifted from one language into another. Searls' key point (and a refreshingly welcome one) is that the translation process is not a mere mechanical process of switching words from one language into another (as some clients would have us believe!) without taking into account the items mentioned above or the general register of language to be used (speaking to a New York taxi driver being an amusing example). The Coda is of particular interest as Searls reviews the thoughts of a whole range of translators from different times and different languages. He analyses the political context of translation as well as the social or historical ones and illustrates the limitations of both Google Translate and ChatGPT. The one acts almost like a bilingual dictionary, and whereas ChatGPT can "comb and cull and copy and crib and collage", it cannot cope with deeper meaning or specialised contexts. The Philosophy of Translation covers a remarkable range of topics, with valuable insights into the actual process of translation and a practical element which makes it both fascinating reading and a practical source book for all translators. Professor Tim Connell HonFCIL The Philosophy of Translation Damion Searls Yale University Press 2025 248 pp; ISBN 9780300247374 Hardback, £20 Why Animals Talk Arik Kershenbaum Viking 2024 288 pp; ISBN 9780241559857 Hardback, £20 "If I could talk to the animals…" ruminated Dr Dolittle. With help from Polynesia, his parrot, he could! Zoologists of many stripes study animals' visual, tactile and olfactory communication. Recently, acoustics and audition have attracted interest and, to some, have challenged the notion of human exceptionalism in language. Animals have accents. A group of a species can diverge from the normal call, howl or whistle after a degree of separation from its larger, parent group, in much the same way that humans develop accents. Wolves (Canis lupus lupus) in the Italian Alps howl in a more dog-like way, with shorter, steeper falls, in response to the howls of the Maremma sheepdogs keeping their flocks safe. This mimicking of the dogs' call could be an instance of accent development, or a diversionary tactic of the wolves to fool the dogs. Animals imitate. The African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is highly adept at mimicry, in the wild and in captivity. Each bird's name, or "signature contact call", is learnt from its parents by the time that it fledges. As well as calling their own name, they refer to others by theirs. African greys in regular contact with humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) display a remarkable ability to engage with their wingless companions by listening to and parroting a range of sounds: human voices, pet noises, ring tones and so on. Some develop a repartee with their owner (more on these beguiling creatures can be found at Cornell Lab's Bird Academy and elsewhere). Do animals talk? We know that animals communicate and the reasons why. As Arik Kershenbaum tells us, they do it to mark out territory, announce their presence, warn others off, invite others in, raise an alarm, announce a hunt, express joy/grief/pain/ anger/affection: "…traits evolve through natural selection only if they provide a concrete benefit to an actual living organism". Why Animals Talk: The new science of animal communication feels at times sketchy and in need of sharper focus (e.g. "Wolf packs are a kind of extended family"). Also, I would like to have known more about the how, as distinct from the why. At what volume does a dolphin (Delphinus delphis) whistle to its pod-mates? What vocal apparatus allows a small songbird to sing so masterfully? How does animal communication feature ellipsis and redundancy? If only I could talk to the animals… Graham Elliott MCIL

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