Peter Newmark dies aged 95

My colleagues and I were saddened to hear that Peter Newmark, arguably one of the most influential names in translation studies, died at the grand age of 95 earlier this month. Many of us at Rosetta have passed through the post graduate education system in recent years studying translation and/or interpreting and are more than familiar with his work and publications.

I studied at the University of Westminster, for which Peter had been head of languages many years prior to my studies, but his legacy and influence still lived on. Before writing my MA dissertation (which was the bane of my life for several months) I had read several of his books, which I found to be easy to understand and digestible, qualities often lacking from theory based publications.

Another colleague studied at the University of Surrey where the professor had taught and lectured for the Centre of Translation Studies since the early 1980’s. She was fortunate enough to attend one of his very last lectures at the university and was impressed by his academic presence and passion for the field, an enthusiasm which was infectious for those who were taught by or were present at his talks. She carried a sense of pride that her she completed her studies at an institution linked with one of THE names in the field of translation studies

Professor Newmark also invested much of his time in the Chartered Institute of Linguists for which he was Vice-President. He regularly contributed to The Linguist magazine where he compounded his views on the world of translation and its developments.

It is touching to read the obituaries and the thoughts posted from his colleagues and friends who were all greatly influenced by this great scholar. Undoubtedly, his work will continue to be used by students and researchers for decades to come. We, as former students, can only thank him for his academic and personal contributions to the world of translation and express our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.