Vertaalbesluite onder toestande van onsekerheid

English: In view of globalisation, the development of technology and media, and contemporary demands made of cross-cultural knowledge transfer and communication, translation is, today more than ever before, an important activity. On a basic level translation involves the transfer of a message from one language to another; however, the process is neither simple nor straightforward. Translation is a specific example of human interaction, an activity characterised by series of decisions influenced by a variety of factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate how translators make decisions when they are confronted by uncertainty in a complex environment. The origins of complexity that causes uncertainty were investigated by means of a literature study. Data, in the form of autoethnographic narratives relating to examples of translation, text editing and interpreting briefs, were analysed with reference to the literature and two theoretical paradigms, namely, functionalism (skopos) and complexity thinking. Five characteristics of complex adaptive systems as proposed by the philosophy of complexity thinking were applied to the data, namely, the idea that complex adaptive systems, a) comprise heterogenous elements; b) are dynamic; c) do not behave in a linear fashion; d) are open systems; and e) are adaptive and characterised by emergence. The first conclusion arising from this analysis is that the contribution that functionalism can make to eliminating uncertainty is limited. Information about the purpose of a translation can reduce some of the translator's uncertainty, but could also cause other uncertainty. All the characteristics of complex adaptive systems, jointly and separately, can cause the translator to experience uncertainty. Because the source of the uncertainty is multidimensional, and due to the dynamic, emerging nature of the systems, translators have to adapt their strategies continuously as the environment changes. Another conclusion is that the role of translators is much more comprehensive, and the environment within which translators work, is much more complicated than people realise. If translators want to manage uncertainty in complex situations, they must be able to live with dynamic interaction, relative uncertainty, flexibility, paradox and alternating chaos and stability – the characteristics of complex adaptive systems.