Towards a Fuzzy Logic of Translation

Abstract

This study pits Aristotelian logic against fuzzy logic in the context of translation. It takes as its point of departure the fuzziness of language in general and translation in particular, arguing that seeking pinpoint precision in translation is doomed from the outset and the myriad of dichotomies and apparent contradictions in translation no longer have to be viewed from the either/or lenses of Aristotelian logic. It is, therefore, all the more reason for us to account for fuzziness in translation more seriously and systematically. One prime theoretical candidate enabling us to investigate translation as such is fuzzy logic, which despite its potential has rarely been exploited in translation theories. While Aristotelian logic accords a value of either 0 or 1 to propositions, fuzzy logic allows truth values to range from 0 to 1, rendering propositions both true and false, on the one hand, and partially true and partially false, on the other. Then, the study sets out to look at the issue of equivalence, which has been traditionally beset by dichotomous thinking, from a fuzzy-logical perspective and discusses its theoretical implications.