Mapping Spaces of Translation in Twentieth-Century Latin American Print Culture

Book excerpt: This book reflects on translation praxis in 20th century Latin American print culture, tracing the trajectory of linguistic heterogeneity in the region and illuminating collective efforts to counteract the use of translation as a colonial tool and affirm cultural production in Latin America. In investigating the interplay of translation and the Americas as a geopolitical site, Guzmán Martínez unpacks the complex tensions that arise in these “spaces of translation” as embodied in the output of influential publishing houses and periodicals during this time period, looking at translation as both a concept and a set of narrative practices. An exploration of these spaces not only allows for an in-depth analysis of the role of translation in these institutions themselves but also provides a lens through which to uncover linguistic plurality and hybridity past borders of seemingly monolingual ideologies. A concluding chapter looks ahead to the ways in which strategic and critical uses of translation can continue to build on these efforts and contribute toward decolonial narrative practices in translation and enhance cultural production in the Americas in the future. This book will be of particular interest to scholars in translation studies, Latin American studies, and comparative literature.