'Translation Difficulties': The problem of Authorship of Translated Texts

Abstract

The article takes an interdisciplinary approach to analyzing the problem of authorship of translated texts using the “case study” method. The so-called incident of the Russian Science Citation Index (“RSCI incident”), which happened eight years ago, is described. The conceptual argumentation of both disputing parties is constructed in favor of each of them making their own decision. As a result, it turns out that the parties interpret the concepts of “author of the text” and, accordingly, “author of the translated text” in different ways. At the same time, one interpretation is based on a meaningful (semantic) approach, and the other on a formal (syntactic) one. Both of these approaches are considered ineffective in an attempt to resolve a controversial incident. To get out of the current situation, the article formulates a third — communicative — approach, which justifies such a way out of the current situation, which looks more objective and therefore could suit each of the parties.