Globalization and the Politics of Translation Studies.docx
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Globalization and the Politics of Translation Studies.docx
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GlobalizationandthePoliticsofTranslationStudies
GlobalizationandthePoliticsofTranslationStudies
AnthonyPym
InterculturalStudiesGroup
UniversitatRoviraiVirgili
Tarragona,Spain
Version2.1(revisedApril2006)
RumoredforpublicationinMeta.
Abstract:
Globalizationcanbeseenasaconsequenceoftechnologiesreducingthecostsofcommunication.ThisreductionhasledbothtotheriseofEnglishastheinternationallinguafrancaandtoanincreaseintheglobaldemandfortranslations.Thesimultaneousmovementonbothfrontsisexplainedbythedivergentcommunicationstrategiesinformingtheproductionanddistributionofinformation,wheretranslationcanonlybeexpectedtoremainsignificantfordistribution,andnotforproduction.Thefundamentalchangeintheresultingcommunicationpatternsistheemergenceofone-to-manydocumentproductionprocesses,whicharedisplacingthetraditionalsource-targetmodelsstillusedinTranslationStudies.TranslationStudiesmightneverthelessretainasetofpoliticalprinciplesthatcouldconstituteitsownidentitywithrespecttoglobalization.Suchprincipleswouldbeexpressedinthenationalandregionalorganizationofthediscipline,inthedefenseofminoritycultures,andinageneralstakeinculturalalterity.ThepossibleexistenceofsuchprinciplesishereexaminedonthebasisofthreeinstanceswhereTranslationStudiesmightaddressglobalizationinpoliticalterms:
theweaknessofthedisciplineindominantmonocultures,thedevelopmentofaninternationalassociationofTranslationStudies,andpoliticalboycottsoftranslationscholars.
Résumé:
Vuecommerésultatdel’applicationdestechnologiesréduisantlescoûtsreliésauxcommunications,lamondialisationfavoriseàlafoislerecoursmassifàl’anglais,linguafranca,etl’accroissementdelademandedestraductions.Ceparadoxeapparents’expliqueparladichotomieentrelesstratégiesdeproduction,d’unepart,etlesmodesdediffusiondesinformations,d’autrepart.Or,c’estladiffusion,etelleseulement,quidonnesoncaractèrepérenneàlatraduction.Lanouveautéessentielledelamondialisationestparfaitementillustréedanslalocalisationmultipleàpartird’unmatériauinternationalisé(géométriedel’«un-à-plusieurs»),làoùautrefoisontravaillaitsuivantlemodèleunesource-unecible,encoreleplusétudiéparlatraductologie.Ladisciplinequiétudielatraductions’organisepourtantautourd’unensembledeprincipespolitiquesqui,toutenrestantfidèlesaubinarismesource-cible,pourraientredéfinirlatraductologiedanslecontextemondialisant.Parmicesprincipes,relevonsl’organisationdesformationsencadréepardesplansnationauxourégionaux,ladéfensedesculturesminoritaires,etl’investissementdansl’altéritéculturelle.Lapertinencemêmedecesprincipesestexaminéedanslespagesquisuiventàlalumièredetroisétatsdefait:
lemanquerelatifderecherchesaméricainessurlatraduction,l’organisationd’uneassociationinternationaledestraductologues,etlerejetdesboycottagesnationalistesàl’endroitdeschercheurs.
Hereweshallattempttomodelglobalizationasaneconomicprocessthathascertainconsequencesforthesocialroleoftranslation.ThoseconsequenceswillthenbeseenasaffectingthepoliticalorganizationofTranslationStudiesasascholarlydiscipline.Thegeneraleconomicprocessisheldtohavecertainelementsofirreversibilitythankstoitsgroundingintechnologicalchange.Translatorswillmostlyhavetocometotermswiththoseelements,aswillscholarsandeveryoneelse.Thereare,however,properlypoliticalprocessesthatbuildonglobalizationbutshouldnotbeidentifiedwithit.Thoseprocessesalsohaveconsequencesfortranslation,buttheyarenottobeconsideredinevitable.Someofthemcanberesistedorinfluencedbytheuseornon-useoftranslation.ThosepoliticalprocessescanbeindirectlyaffectedbyascholarlyTranslationStudies,whichmightthusdevelopitsownpoliticswithrespecttoglobalization.ThismeansthatTranslationStudiesshouldseektounderstandandexplaintheeffectsofglobalization,withoutpretendingtoresistthemall.Atthesametime,itshouldattempttoinfluencethemorenegativepoliticalprocesseswithinitsreach,developingpoliticalagendasandcultivatingitsownpoliticalorganization.Inthis,thedialecticsplayoutbetweenthetechnologicalandthepolitical,betweenthethingswemustlivewithandthethingsweshouldtrytochange.Onlywiththisdoublevisionshouldweattempttotakeapositionwithrespecttoglobalization.
TheTechnological
Globalization,forourpresentpurposes,resultsfromaprogressivereductioninthecostsofcommunicationandtransport.Thetermcanmeanmanyotherthingsaswell;thecurrenttheoriescovereverythingfromthestateofmarketstotheconditionofthesoul.Butforus,here,globalizationwillbenomorethanasetofthingsthatcanhappenwhendistancebecomeseasiertoconquer.Letusmodelthosethings.Letustrytoconnectthemwithtranslationanditsstudy.
Hereisonemodel.Astechnologyimproves,wecanmovethingsfurtherandmoreefficiently,justaswecanpotentiallycommunicatemoreefficientlyandovergreaterstretchesoftimeandspace.Whatisreducedonboththeselevelsmightbecalledthetransactioncosts,understoodasthetotaleffortnecessaryjusttogettheobjectsmovedorthecommunicationunderway.Differenttechnologiesstructurethesecostsindifferentways.Sometimesapparentlyslightchangescanhavelarge-scaleeffects.Thetechnologicalmovefromparchmenttopaper,forexample,cheapenedrewritingprocesses,enablingtranslationswithmultiplerevisions,greaterteamworkandwiderdistribution.Notbychance,thearrivalofpapercoincidedwiththesignificanttranslationactivitiesinBaghdadintheninthandtenthcenturies,andwiththoseinHispaniainthetwelfthandthirteenth(seePym2000a).Similarly,theprintingpressenabledmuchwiderdistribution,atthesametimeasitrequiredthefixingofadefinitivetext.Thisledtospellingconventionsandthestandardizationofnationallanguages,whiletheideallydefinitivetextpromotedgreaterawarenessofindividualistdiscourse(thestyleoftheauthor),withcorrespondingcallsforindividualisttranslators.Theageofprintwasalsothatofnationallanguagesandtheindividualtranslator,aswellastheidealofequivalence(sincetherewasatechnologicallyfixedtexttowhicharenditioncouldbeequivalent).Andwhatnowofourelectronicmeansofcommunication?
Theyaremostlycheaperstill,allowingtransactioncoststobestructuredinquitedifferentways.Revisionpracticesarenolongeranadditiontotranslation;theyhavebecomeessentialtotextproduction(websitesareconstantlyupdated)andfortranslationasanextensionofthatprocess.Thekindofequivalencepromotedbytheprintingpressisnolongerpertinentwhenthesourcetextsareconstantlyevolvingbyelectronicmeans.Underlyingthoseconceptualruptures,however,thegeneralreductionoftransactioncostshasbeengoingonforcenturies.
Whatconsequencesmightthatextendedprocesshaveforthewaytranslationinteractswithglobalization,uptoandincludingourelectronicage?
Withcursoryglancesatrecenthistory,acertainchainofreasoningcanbelinkedasfollows:
•Astransportandcommunicationbecomecheaper,morethingsaremovedandcommunicatedovergreaterdistances.Thishypothesisisinaccordancewiththeassumedbenefitsoftradeandtheunhappysuppositionthatpeopletendtodoeverythingthattechnologymakesitpossibleforthemtodo.Asprecariousasthe
hypothesismightbeinhumanterms,thestatisticsforglobaltransportandcommunicationsdoindicateanacceleratingrise.
•Thereisthusmorecommunication.Thisisnotonlybecauseitiseasiertocommunicatebutalsobecausetherearemoremovingthingsaboutwhichtocommunicate,morepossiblecommunicationpartnerstotalkwith,morepossibilitiesforcommunicationabouttheresultingcommunication,andindeedmoretechnologytotalkaboutinthefirstplace.Didweeverimagine,priortoemailandmobilephones,thatsomuchneededtobesaid?
•Thequantitativeriseincommunicationisfirstwithinthebordersofculturesandlanguages(sincethereislessresistancefromculturalandlinguisticdifferences),thenprogressivelyacrossthoseborders.
•Whencommunicationregularlycrossesthebordersoflanguagesandcultures,ittendstowashawaythosesameborders.Thuswerethelocalpatoisandfiefdomsswampedbythevernacularsandnationstates.Thus,also,arethenationstatesandtheirlanguagestransformedintopartsofgreaterregions.Andso,too,havetheregionsformedintointercontinentalmarketswithagrowinglinguafranca.Theendofthatprocesswouldbecommunicationonatrulyplanetaryscale.Priortothatpoint,however,globalizationisnotglobal;itisaconvenientmisnomerforanincompletedevelopment.
•Globalizationthuscreatestheneedforcommonlanguages,thereforetheneedforfewerlanguages,andnowtheneedforjustonelinguafranca,English.
•Asthebordersarewashedaway,sotooistheneedfortranslation.WewillsoonallspeakEnglishallthetime,sothewholetranslationprofessionisdoomedtoextinction.TranslationStudieswillloseitsobject,andwemightaswellfaceuptothefact.Sucharetheconsequencesoftechnology.
Thereisalotwrongwiththatmodel,andnotjustbecauseitsconclusionissad.Themodelcanbeusedtoreduceglobalizationtoculturalhomogenization,toMcDonaldsandCocaColaandMicrosoftrulingtheworld,asisdoneoftenenough.Globalizationquicklybecomesaprocesstobe
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