7. Radical Translation

on these two clues:

• verbal and non-verbal output of the speaker

• shared sensorial stimuli of the events around the speaker and interpreter

• the aim of such a field linguist is to create a translation manual:

1. occasion sentences based on direct experience

2. abstract sentences that include logical connectives

• the translation manual can be only of hypothetical character, i.e. we must be always open to the possibility of its revision (e. g. “Gavagai!”)

Indeterminacy of translation

• there is always more than one correct method of translating sentences, therefore we can have more translation manuals that are equally valid yet incompatible with each other

• this multiplicity leads to indeterminacy of translation, that does not regard only stylistic variants; the different translations of the same sentence can have different reference

• the more we know about the language the more we can be misled

• the radical translation is used by kids when learning their first language for the first time

Quine, Word and Object, 1960

Questions:

1. How is translation between kindred languages possible? What about translation between unrelated languages?

2. What do these words mean: “gavagai”, “lo”, “evet” and “yok”?

3. What is the role of gestures in radical translation? How can a speaker express assent or dissent?