TRANSLATA III is the third in a series of triennial conferences on Translation and Interpreting Studies at the University of Innsbruck. This conference series was launched in 2011 and has always been, from its beginnings onward, one of the largest conferences in its field. TRANSLATA sees itself as a conference devoted to basic research in translatology and has the aim, amongst other things, to re-establish translation proper (=professional translation and interpreting) as a core object of study.

The motto of TRANSLATA III was not chosen by chance. On the one hand, translation and interpreting departments rapidly developed across the world (there are currently over 250 university institutes in over 60 countries),positioning Translation Studies, to a certain extent naturally, within the ranks of university disciplines. However, within the field itself there is no agreement upon what Translation Studies is or should be. Differences range from the definition of the subject matter of Translation Studies, to methodological approaches, as well as to the aim of our research activities. What seems particularly alarming is the fact that Translation Studies, which has been an independent discipline since the end of the 1980s, has largely removed professional translation in the form of translation proper from its sphere of activity and stigmatized it.

On the other hand, translation practice has changed considerably in the last years due to the rapid developments in the digital world and of “Industry 4.0”. It is a great challenge for Translation Studies to decide how it could and should react to these changes.

As a result, TRANSLATA III, entitled “Redefining and Refocusing Translation and Interpreting Studies”, wishes to offer all those dealing with translation theoretically, practically, didactically and commercially a shared forum to discuss questions and problems of translation and the training of translators and interpreters.