Translation as Concept: Universality, Negativity, Time

At a time when translation has become a central concern across the humanities, this book offers a distinctive philosophical intervention, approaching translation through classical philosophical concepts while also rethinking those very concepts through the lens of translation. At a time when translation has become a central concern across the humanities, this book offers a distinctive philosophical intervention, approaching translation through classical philosophical concepts while also rethinking those very concepts through the lens of translation. Organized around three major themes — universality, negativity, and temporality — it argues that these are not only fundamental dimensions of a concept of translation, but also the basis for what it defines as "translation as concept": a framework that captures both the reflective and transformative character of language. At the heart of the book lies the claim that philosophy of translation necessarily calls into question the foundations and conditions of philosophical practice itself. The author revisits major figures in German philosophy, including Humboldt, Schleiermacher, Benjamin, and Hegel, while also addressing contemporary discussions of translation and language. Originally written in Italian and translated for this new edition, the book also contains an additional section composed in English, enacting a multilingual, multilayered practice in which translation converges with the experience of self-translation and exophonic writing. Intended mainly for scholars and students of continental philosophy of language, hermeneutics, and classical German philosophy, this volume will also be of interest to readers in translation studies, linguistics, and cultural studies, as well as translators engaged with the theory of translation.