Translating Popular Science

Over the centuries, the circulation of scientific ideas has been granted in one or a limited number of languages. While the advantages of avoiding a scientific Babel cannot be denied, popular science is largely communicated to the public using their first language(s) and is often the result of translation from other languages. Today, this means most notably English. Science, especially established science such as classical physics, may be communicated to the public by and large for information, but science at the leading edge of research is often popularised for its newsworthiness and/or to involve the public in debates concerning social issues or political decisions. The book investigates how translators mediate the ‘news’ elements in the texts such as new theories, discoveries, equipment and the relating terminology and grammar in the target language and culture.