Trade-offs in translation effects

Abstract Trade-offs are solutions to translation problems where two or more apparently incompatible values are sought at the same time. As such, they present an alternative to theories that see translation as operating between two polarities of the one value. Analysis of three illustrative examples suggests that receivers can activate trade-offs that are quite different from those envisaged by translators and that different readerships may seek different kinds of trade-offs. The resulting instability gives rise to problems concerning research methodology. It is proposed that the study of trade-offs is suited to a mixed-methods approach that starts from receiver-produced data, that allows for more than two values, and that recognizes that not all solutions are trade-offs. This approach can also identify situations where one kind of trade-off leads to another, creating chains of value transformation that are informed by translation history.