Introduction to Translation and Interpreting Studies

9 Culture, Power, and Professionalism

María Reimóndez

Objectives

• Develop a critical understanding of translation and interpreting theories and practices from the point of view of power relationships.
• Transform the way we see ourselves as translators and interpreters in different settings.
• Consider issues of language hegemony, colonial, and patriarchal power in translation.
• Understand how translation and interpreting practices support or subvert existing power structures.

9.1 Introduction

The history of Western translation studies¹ as presented in previous chapters hints at the fact that it is a relatively new discipline. Whenever new disciplines are created, they try to follow the rules of traditional knowledge and adapt to the expectations and patterns of existing fields. In this sense, we can see how one of the founding elements in the development of translation studies as a field was a struggle to appear “scientific” and therefore focus on aspects that could be measured and standards that were to be “internationally” accepted. The case of interpreting studies, a far more recent discipline, shows the same development, with an unusual number of articles focusing on aspects that try to find a connection with the natural or “hard” sciences such as cognitive processes, brain engagement, and artificial intelligence support for simultaneous interpretation. This, with a clear concern with quality (the question of what a good translation is) and teaching tools, maps out the traditional ...