Principled in practice, practical in principle : the link between theory and practice in translation [CD-ROM]

"There has always been an unsettled debate between proponents of a theory-free practice of translation and those who believe that theory is an integral part of translators' training. The arguments the initial group provides relate to the fact that translators simply are able to conduct translations without having to rely on theoretical views which they say in most cases make their task even more complex, these views themselves, they say, are single-minded, hindered, untested; not to mention those highly controversial ones. Theory proponents on the other hand, are adamant that a translator should know about experts' views on matters related to translation. If this does not make them carry out their job with greater success, they insist, it will at least provide them with nvaluable insights about a number of nuances related to the practice. So, how relevant is 'theory' in translation?".