Chapter 8
Cultural and Ideological Turns
Abstract
This chapter explores the various intersections between cultural studies and translation studies, marking a shift away from purely linguistic theories toward an emphasis on translation as cultural transfer. It examines how translation engages with broader cultural, ideological, and political dynamics. The discussion begins with André Lefevere’s concept of translation as rewriting, highlighting the role of patronage, power, and poetics in shaping literary translation. It then turns to feminist translation theory, particularly the Canadian tradition that seeks to make the feminine visible in and through translation. Queer and transgender translation studies further expand this focus, challenging normative constructions of gender and sexuality and exploring the translation of non-normative identities and experiences. Postcolonial translation studies examine the legacy of colonialism, the role of language, and the politics of cultural representation. The final sections address translation and ideology, looking at how translations can reflect or resist dominant ideologies, especially in global institutions and multilingual societies. The next chapter examines the evolving role of the translator.
Video Introduction
Flashcards
Test your understanding of the foundational concepts within the chapter by using these flashcards.
Quiz
Test your understanding of this chapter with our multiple choice questions.
Research Questions
- Lefevere (1992: 9, see chapter) considers translation to be ‘potentially the most influential’ form of rewriting. How far do you agree with him? Compare this with examples taken from other forms of rewriting (film adaptations, anthologization, historiography, etc.).
- Look for examples from translations in various times and locations that reveal a gender bias. How is that bias revealed? Is there a pattern to these examples? How might the translator have acted differently?
- How far do you agree with Niranjana that translation studies has been overly dominated by Western theories? If this is true, how can or should the situation be changed?
- ‘Co-existence implies translating the culture and (political, religious, emotional) language of the other into a language and culture that is strengthened by the presence of the other. The alternative to translation is the muteness of fear’ (Cronin 1996: 200, see chapter). How far does this statement hold for the linguistic policies of your own country?
- In what ways might the researcher’s own ideology condition the choice of analytical tools and the relation to cultural theory?
- Ideology has often been understood in the sense of manipulation in translation studies. Look at the recent work in this area. What definitions are given for ‘ideology’? What assumptions do researchers have about how ideology is manifested in translation? Is there a pattern to the findings of the different studies?
Video Summary
Further Reading
Explore the chapter further using our combined reading list and free reading section.
For cultural studies and comparative literature
Apter, E. (2005) The Translation Zone: A New Comparative Literature, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Casanova, P. (2004) The World Republic of Letters, translated by M. DeBevoise, Cambridge, MA; Harvard University Press.
For gender studies
Larkosh, C. (ed.) (2011) Re-engendering Translation: Transcultural Practice, Gender/Sexuality and the Politics of Alterity, Manchester: St Jerome.
Von Flotow, L. (2010) ‘Gender in translation’, in Y. Gambier and L. van Doorslaer (eds) Handbook of Translation Studies, vol.1, Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Von Flotow, L. (ed.) (2011) Translating Women, Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.
For postcolonial studies
Apiah, K. (1993-2021) ‘Thick translation’, in L. Venuti (ed.) The Translation Studies Reader, London and New York: Routledge, pp. 338–351.
Bandia, P. (2008) Translation as Reparation: Writing and Translation in Postcolonial Africa, Manchester: St Jerome.
Bandia, P. (2010) ‘Post-colonial literatures and translation’, in Y. Gambier and L. van Doorslaer (eds) Handbook of Translation Studies, Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Batchelor, K. (2009) Decolonizing Translation: Francophone African Novels in English Translation, Manchester: St Jerome.
Cronin, M. (2006) Translation and Identity, Abingdon and New York: Routledge.
Simon, S. (2011) Cities in Translation: Intersections of Language and Memory, Abingdon and New York: Routledge.
For translation and conflict
Baker, M. (2006) Translation and Conflict: A Narrative Account, London and New York: Routledge.
Inghilleri, M. and S.-A. Harding (eds) Translation and Violent Conflict, Special issue of The Translator 16.2.
Salama-Carr, M. (ed.) (2007) Translating and Interpreting Conflict, Amsterdam: Rodopi.
See Exploration box 8.D of textbook.
Wallmach, K. (2006) ‘Feminist translation strategies: Different or derived?’, Journal of Literary Studies, 22(1–2), pp. 1–26.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02564710608530388
In this article, Wallmach challenges the feminist translation strategies described in Chapter 8.
See Exploration box 8.H of textbook.
Batchelor, K. (2008) ‘Third spaces, mimicry and attention to ambivalence: Applying Bhabhian discourse to translation theory’, The Translator, 14(1), pp. 51–70.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13556509.2008.10799249
Alamin Mazrui’s chapter ‘Translating Fanon in Socialist Tanzania: Between the Wretched and the Damned’, from his book Cultural Politics of Translation: East Africa in a Global Context (2016).
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781315625836-4
Pratt, M. L., Wagner, B., Carbonell i Cortés, O., Chesterman, A., & Tymoczko, M. (2010). Translation Studies Forum: Cultural translation. Translation Studies, 3(1), 94–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700903338706
The varied contributions in this forum, from some major figures in the field, focus on the understanding of the concept of ‘cultural translation’ and the metaphor it creates of the translated subject. This is an illustration of how more recent work has extended cultural studies approaches to the study of translation. It is worth making a summary of the views of each of the contributors towards the subject in order to better understand the breadth of cultural translation.
Extract from Introducing Translation Studies 1st and 2nd Editions.