Philosophy as Translation and the Figure of the Philosopher-Translator

In this paper, I offer an interpretation of the philosophy of translation. I will argue that philosophy, by its very nature, contains an inner translational element. Philosophical praxis is entangled with the praxis of translation, which constitutes its motive force. To support this argument, I will provide historical examples of the figure of the ‘philosopher-translator', understood as one whose philosophical activity is especially dependent on translational activity. Focusing on three such philosophers in particular – Benedetto Croce, Martin Heidegger and Jacques Derrida – I reveal the extent to which translation functions as an implicit, often inchoate, element of the philosopher-translator's work and biography.