English for a Global Readership: Implications for the L2 Translation Classroom

When English is the target language and the intended readership is international, the question of what is appropriate or inappropriate as a translation solution can be complex. Usage which has traditionally been considered unacceptable may come to be regarded in a different light owing to the fact that on a global level English is a moving and constantly evolving target. This state of flux represents a conundrum for translation trainers and trainees alike, whose task is however facilitated by careful use of dictionaries and language corpora. With the help of corpus data, this paper examines and discusses examples of solutions – some contentious, some more straightforward – drawn from the Italian­to­English translation classroom.