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Chapter 18. Hispanic South America

  • Álvaro Echeverri and Georges L. Bastin
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A World Atlas of Translation
This chapter is in the book A World Atlas of Translation

Abstract

Polysystems theory teaches us that the selection of texts to be translated is influenced by the conditions of the target culture. This idea can be corroborated throughout the different historical periods identified for the study of translation and translations in Hispanic South America. In the colony, translations of religious texts into the indigenous languages aimed at cultural assimilation. By the end of the colony, “American Spaniards” or criollos used translation as a matrix for both textual and aesthetical forms. This resulted in the creation of the first bodies of political texts and the appropriation of literary themes and values both from Europe and North America. After independence, translation was instrumental in the education of the new citizens, and in more recent times thanks to the ideas about translation conveyed by authors such as Octavio Paz and Jorge Luis Borges, translation in the region has been often associated to the irreverent concept of creative infidelity. This chapter leads to the conclusion that while recreation is the “translation norm” in Hispanic South America it is false to pretend that everything the region has created has been copied.

Abstract

Polysystems theory teaches us that the selection of texts to be translated is influenced by the conditions of the target culture. This idea can be corroborated throughout the different historical periods identified for the study of translation and translations in Hispanic South America. In the colony, translations of religious texts into the indigenous languages aimed at cultural assimilation. By the end of the colony, “American Spaniards” or criollos used translation as a matrix for both textual and aesthetical forms. This resulted in the creation of the first bodies of political texts and the appropriation of literary themes and values both from Europe and North America. After independence, translation was instrumental in the education of the new citizens, and in more recent times thanks to the ideas about translation conveyed by authors such as Octavio Paz and Jorge Luis Borges, translation in the region has been often associated to the irreverent concept of creative infidelity. This chapter leads to the conclusion that while recreation is the “translation norm” in Hispanic South America it is false to pretend that everything the region has created has been copied.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface 1
  4. Chapter 1. Translating in the Pacific 13
  5. Chapter 2. Recent tradition in Australia 39
  6. Chapter 3. Japanese conceptualizations of ‘translation’ 55
  7. Chapter 4. Contemporary views of translation in China 81
  8. Chapter 5. From plagiarism to incense sticks 105
  9. Chapter 6. More or less “translation” 125
  10. Chapter 7. The Persian tradition 149
  11. Chapter 8. The notion of translation in the Arab world 169
  12. Chapter 9. Traditions of translation in Hebrew culture 193
  13. Chapter 10. Altaic tradition 215
  14. Chapter 11. Translation tradition throughout South African history 243
  15. Chapter 12. Translation traditions in Angola 271
  16. Chapter 13. The culture(s) of translation in Russia 287
  17. Chapter 14. The concept of translation in Slavic cultures 309
  18. Chapter 15. The Greek-speaking tradition 323
  19. Chapter 16. Latin/Romance tradition 341
  20. Chapter 17. Germanic tradition 355
  21. Chapter 18. Hispanic South America 375
  22. Chapter 19. The history of translation in Brazil through the centuries 395
  23. Chapter 20. Translation in Central America and Mexico 419
  24. Chapter 21. Translation and North America 443
  25. Postface 465
  26. Bio-notes 471
  27. Index of languages, people, toponyms 481
  28. Name index 485
  29. Subject index 491
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.145.18ech

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface 1
  4. Chapter 1. Translating in the Pacific 13
  5. Chapter 2. Recent tradition in Australia 39
  6. Chapter 3. Japanese conceptualizations of ‘translation’ 55
  7. Chapter 4. Contemporary views of translation in China 81
  8. Chapter 5. From plagiarism to incense sticks 105
  9. Chapter 6. More or less “translation” 125
  10. Chapter 7. The Persian tradition 149
  11. Chapter 8. The notion of translation in the Arab world 169
  12. Chapter 9. Traditions of translation in Hebrew culture 193
  13. Chapter 10. Altaic tradition 215
  14. Chapter 11. Translation tradition throughout South African history 243
  15. Chapter 12. Translation traditions in Angola 271
  16. Chapter 13. The culture(s) of translation in Russia 287
  17. Chapter 14. The concept of translation in Slavic cultures 309
  18. Chapter 15. The Greek-speaking tradition 323
  19. Chapter 16. Latin/Romance tradition 341
  20. Chapter 17. Germanic tradition 355
  21. Chapter 18. Hispanic South America 375
  22. Chapter 19. The history of translation in Brazil through the centuries 395
  23. Chapter 20. Translation in Central America and Mexico 419
  24. Chapter 21. Translation and North America 443
  25. Postface 465
  26. Bio-notes 471
  27. Index of languages, people, toponyms 481
  28. Name index 485
  29. Subject index 491
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