Originally published in different journals and collected volumes, these papers in conceptual analysis cover some central topics in translation theory and research: types of theory and hypothesis; causality and explanation; norms, strategies and so-called

Section I. Some general issues: Paper 1. On the idea of a theory, Paper 2. Shared ground in Translation Studies, Paper 3. What constitutes "progress" in Translation Studies?, Paper 4. Towards consilience?. Section II. Descriptive and prescriptive: Paper 5. The empirical status of prescriptivism, Paper 6. Skopos theory: A retrospective assessment, Paper 7. Catford revisited, Paper 8. The descriptive paradox, or how theory can affect practice. Section III. Causality and explanation: Paper 9. Causes, translations, effects, Paper 10. A causal model for Translation Studies, Paper 11. Semiotic modalities in translation causality, Paper 12. On explanation. Section IV. Norms: Paper 13. From 'is' to 'ought': Laws, norms and strategies in Translation Studies, Paper 14. A note on norms and evidence. Section V. Similarities and differences: Paper 15. On similarity, Paper 16. Problems with strategies, Paper 17. The unbearable lightness of English words. Section VI. Hypotheses: Paper 18. The status of interpretive hypotheses, Paper 19. Reflections on the literal translation hypothesis. Section VII. "Universals": Paper 20. Beyond the particular, Paper 21. What is a unique item?, Paper 22. Kundera's sentence, Paper 23. Universalism in Translation Studies. Section VIII. The sociological turn: Paper 24. Questions in the sociology of translation, Paper 25. The name and nature of Translator Studies, Paper 26. Models of what processes?. Section IX. Translation ethics: Paper 27. Proposal for a Hieronymic Oath, Paper 28. An ethical decision.