The International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation

Abstract

This chapter aims to offer an historical view of the role of the League of Nations in the interwar period from the perspective of translation. Specifically, I will explore the translation activities of the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation (IIIC) (1925–-1946) (henceforth IIIC), and the impact of its translation policies, both in Europe and beyond. The IIICI aimed to reinforce collaboration among countries after World War I, and also aimed to consolidate the League of Nations’ purposes in favour of peace. In this respect, the IIICI’s translation practices became a powerful instrument to encourage international cultural exchange and to promote the dissemination of various cultural and political national projects. The chapter is divided into three parts: first, I will begin with a brief introduction to the history of the IIIC; then, I will provide an overview of its translation policies and its translation activities, suggesting some reflections on the concept and forms of ‘translation policy’. Finally, I will focus on the history and role of a literary series on Latin American literature and the Buenos Aires meeting in 1936, revealing the close and fruitful collaboration between the IIIC and the PEN Club. The translation policy promoted by the IIICI was one of the first serious attempts of a transnational translation policy ever promoted and aimed, on the one hand, to standardize the international cultural field, and, on the other, to promote less known agents and agencies in an international network of culture. When the IIIC’s role was taken over by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in 1946, its translation policies and main activities were maintained – a confirmation of the long-term effectiveness of its initiatives.