Translation bears an immediate relationship to dictionaries. No translation is done without them. Even so, students of translation have not shown much interest in the past in lexicography, nor meta-lexicographers in translation. Translation does not seem to be influenced by dictionaries, and lexicographers are not seen as translators. This is, in part, because lexicographers are supposed to be 'automatic translators', who do not make any choices when translating, whereas 'choice', or the difficulty to choose, is seen as what foremost characterises the translator's craft. Nevertheless, when we compare identical entries in different dictionaries, containing examples that, apparently, could only be translated in one single way, one notices that translations differ and that, consequently, lexicographers are translators in their own way. Their craft can be analysed from the point of view of translation research and this may yield interesting conclusions. This article proposes that the relationship between Lexicography and Translation Studies be researched in a more systematic way and gives a number of concrete examples.
translation; lexicography; context