The Shaping Of Cultural Knowledge In South African Translation

Abstract

Recent translation scholarship has demonstrated a growing emphasis on the collective control or shaping of cultural knowledge. This trend is particularly evident in terms of the role of ideology in the construction and maintenance of cultural knowledge (Katan 1999). The objective of this paper is to illustrate how cultural knowledge is being controlled, shaped and constructed in South African translation. This paper, which constitutes the second of a series of three, also provides a sequel to the first paper on the theoretical development in translation studies. Whereas the first paper, which was written in 2001 (Naude 2005), focused on the cultural turn in translation studies pertaining to the South African context, the forthcoming third paper will deal primarily with globalisation and South African translation. Collectively, the three papers will constitute a report on a research project at the University of the Free State which is nearing completion and in which approximately ten master students have been involved. The project aims to provide a description of existing translations, as well as translations performed by the students into English, Southern Sotho, Xhosa and Zulu (see Bambelo (2003), Danso (2002), Geldenhuys (2004), Hlongwane (2000), Leeto, (forthcoming), Lotter (2001), Makutoane (2003), Mlonyeni (2003), Mpoba (2001), and Mweza (forthcoming)).