La traducción y el otro. El acto (invisible) de traducir y los procesos de colonización

Abstract

In spite of the fact that it is usually metaphorically described as a (lingüistic) bridge between cultures, translation has, throughout history, played a paradoxical role not only in intercultural relations but also as part of complex processes of colonization and conquest. Consequently, far from being an “innocent” activity, translation is the result of power relations established among peoples, cultures, races and languages. It is thus necessary to study the issues which arise from the modes of representation emerging from such relationships. The aim of this essay is to reflect, from a postcolonial point of view, on the ways in which translation (as a textual and discursive element) has taken part in wider historical processes (especially in the conquest and evangelization of sixteenth-century Mexico, and nineteenth-century British imperial expansion) and on how, even in the twentyfirst century, the diffusion of foreign authors and literary translation in Mexico depends on the publication policies of foreign publishing houses.