[home]
[human ecology home]
[author home]
[title home]
Iser, W. (1994) "On translatability", Surfaces, Vol 4.
ABSTRACT
"This essay addresses the question of translatability as a key concept for
understanding encounters between cultures and interactions within cultures.
In this view, translatability implies translation of otherness without
subsuming it under preconceived notions. In conclusion, this essay proposes
a cybernetic model of cultural understanding based on recursive looping."
Complete text
Notes:
What is meant by "a cybernetic model... based on recursive looping?
This brings in areas of mathematical representation. For example the
representation of irrational or transcendental numbers. These numbers are
not finitely expressable as a series of digits, but some of them can be
expressed as recursive functions. These recursive functions are expressed in
a abstracted mathematical language.
To what extent are the allowed
expressions in a mathematical representation similar and different to the
preconceived notions of a cultural representation?
[Translation home]
Created 29/9/98