“The close relationship between colonization and translation has come under scrutiny; we can now perceive the extent to which translation was for centuries a one-way process, with texts being translated into European languages for European consumption, rather than as part of a reciprocal process of exchange.” – from Post-colonial Translation by Susan Basset & Harish Trivedi
Post-Colonialism
has long since wedged itself into the cultural limelight, notably in the realm
of pop culture and cultural appropriation. Translation and foreign literature has not
escaped its purview, and while many readers may shirk away for one reason or
another – to political, too liberal – it’s an important factor to think about.
For, to some degree, colonialism has chosen and reinforced what we read.
However, now
foreign novels are not translated into English nearly enough, meaning that we
know less about the world and its peoples than we did before. While novels,
movies, advertisements are translated out of English and into a multitude of
other languages; the international novel market in the United States is still
relatively small. The US has largely monopolized its culture
through exporting it.
So what can we
understand that’s useful for us readers about the translation and post-colonialism?
