Translation and the Postcolonial

Abstract

This special issue collects a series of essays that reimagine the positioning of translation as theory and practice in diverse postcolonial contexts. A rethinking of translation as a linguistic transaction which always necessarily involves a negotiation between cultures has been at the core of postcolonial theory almost since its inception. Much of the discussion of translation in relation to imperial formations has centred around the notion that translation between languages involves unequal power relations. English or French, as (post)imperial languages, are seen as inherently dominant in the postcolonial literary landscape. Thus translation is used as a powerful metaphor to evoke the complex economies of cultural exchange that take place under the sign of empire. These essays broaden the scope of postcolonial translation to include postcolonial multilingual contexts that necessitate constant translation and self-translation within their boundaries, though not always to one's benefit.