Literary Translation as Agent of Globalization

Abstract

Literature is artistic expression through the medium of language. It provides a lens into a particular place and time, and illuminates the values and practices of a certain culture. Its translations need to reconstruct the original accurately. Globalization, or essentially country interconnectedness and the spread of information around the globe, has been a factor in connecting people throughout history. Today’s spread of information at the speed of fiberoptics globalizes, connecting cultures, and has resulted in an ever-increasing need for translations. Globalization relies upon translation to occur – in order for people to connect, they need to be able to communicate, and the primary mode of communication is a common language. Thus, translators are placed squarely in the middle of the globalization equation, and their translation decisions become acts of globalization, for better or for worse. As agents of globalization, they carry tremendous onus to contribute to globalization responsibly. This paper presents translation’s key elements and considerations in the field, looks at the role translation plays within globalization, and contemplates the translator’s responsibility as an agent of globalization, arguing that foreignization techniques further healthy globalization while domestication choices promote ethnocentrism and warped constructions of source culture and writer.