Translation and interpretation on the Araucanian Frontier (seventeenth—nineteenth c.): an interdisciplinary view

Abstract

In proposing a ‘translation turn’ in cultural studies in 1998, Bassnett and Lefevere suggested the possibility of reversing the course of intellectual curiosity. If translation studies had been seeking frameworks and concepts in other disciplines, why couldn't they in turn find something in translation studies that could be useful for their own development? In this spirit, this paper presents some findings of a three-year interdisciplinary research project on linguistic mediation (both oral and written) along the southernmost frontier of the Spanish colonial empire. We examined the mediation processes taking place within this historical context – a setting characterized by a dynamic of inter-ethnic border tensions – from an interdisciplinary perspective (historical anthropology, philosophy, and translation studies). Exchanging disciplinary practices and knowledge rewarded us with a clearer picture of the object of study. For translation studies, this dialogue has resulted in a better understanding of the dynamics of the social, ethical, and political dimensions of oral mediation, as well as an opportunity to remove the barrier that traditionally separates translation from interpretation as disciplinary objects. Furthermore, thanks to this interdisciplinary contribution, we believe we can draw new conclusions about the significance of oral and written mediation in the history of a bilingual society.