Translation studies is a new field of academic research and teaching, which is concerned with an empirical approach to existing translations and the act of translation. Through a series of focused chapters, the book sets out to show the basic principles of this exciting field. It describes a range of theoretical approaches and applies them to the translation of poetry and to two Indian legends-the purification of Sita and the death of Abhimanyu-as they have been translated and transformed in Southeast Asia.