ABSTRACT
The object of analysis in this chapter is the translation discourse material, i.e., the textual material produced for the purpose of carrying out a translation commission. The focus is on the dialogue between the translator and the commissioner as well as on the relevance of the communication pattern counselling as a means of mapping out the translation brief. On the basis of authentic translation dialogues and authentic translational paratexts, two main research questions are addressed: how do so-called counselling activities in the translation dialogue contribute to establishing the translation brief, and to what extent are these activities necessary for the drafting of a translation brief? The findings demonstrate the fundamental importance of counselling as a relevant communication pattern in the process of creating the translation brief; they also foreground the fact that the entire Translation Discourse Material, and not just the translation dialogue, is required for an empirically founded analysis of the translation brief.
