Theory of action and history of translation: from the intention of the medical translator to the XIXth century

Introduced to translation studies by the functionalist school, Wright's action theory (1963), which posits that intention is inherent to action and defines the various determinants of intention, offers a relevant framework for the study of translation history. When applied to the translator in a historical perspective, this theory's conceptual tools allow the scholar to model intention according to its object, that is to say the result of action. The various dimensions of translator action can thus be explored by considering the successive events that constitute it, from causes to consequences. We make us of this theory by situating it within Lepinette's historical approach (1997), in order to study the intention of two translators, who rendered the works of two seminal English authors into French. These two authors, a physiologist (Charles Bell) and a surgeon (John Bell), published monographs in the beginning of the 19th century. We show that these two translators' intention goes beyond what they claim in their respective preface and that, contrary to the widespread notion that pragmatic translation is a simple copy of the source text, the two translators under study take a stand, both in their translation choices and in the presentation of their written works.