Book excerpt: Emphasizing the value of idiomatic and unconstrained language, this introductory textbook begins with an overview of the fundamental principles of translation. The rest of the chapters expand and illustrate these principles with examples from a wide range of languages--particularly Asian, African, and Amerindian languages. The author uses the recently established principles of text-linguistics in her explanations of the interplay of syntax, semantics, and communicative force through stress and variations of word order in the composition of a text. She also presents a thorough treatment of collocations and the semantic distortions of literal translation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR