"Objects in the midst of other objects": Cultural translation and the anxieties of otherness

Sarah Maitland
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

The history of translation is as long as that of literature itself, yet only recently has translation been conceptualised not just as a channel of exchange between languages but also as a journey across cultural and social borders. This 'cultural' translation interprets one side to another, carrying it 'across' from its original context and reshaping thoughts across cultures in line with certain norms. This complex intercultural encounter -- operationalised through the translation and re-writing of foreign literatures -- brings with it a profound challenge for the humanities. As scholars writing within the interpretive disciplines this encounter with 'otherness' manifests itself in the subjects we choose as the objects of our research, the interpretive lenses through which we locate our knowledge and the institutional, societal and personal influences that inform our findings. In a globalised world the practice of cultural translation, as our way of making sense of the difference we perceive, is an encounter taking place not just in worlds 'out there', but on our very doorsteps. As 'objects in the midst of other objects', our desire is to make sense of ourselves in relation to others and to account for the others we see all around us, in the materials we research and the practice we commit to writing. In short, our desire to work our way through the anxieties of otherness. This article will explore cultural translation as an ethical regime for intercultural encounter that re-examines extant power relations and resists essentialism; a regime in which cultural border is viewed not as a barrier but only the beginning of the intercultural relationship.
“在他物之中的物”:文化翻译与他者的焦虑
翻译的历史与文学本身的历史一样悠久,但直到最近,翻译才被定义为不仅是语言之间交流的渠道,而且是跨越文化和社会边界的旅程。这种“文化”翻译将一个方面解释为另一个方面,将其从原始语境中“跨越”,并根据一定的规范重塑跨文化的思想。这种复杂的跨文化相遇——通过翻译和重写外国文学来运作——给人文学科带来了深刻的挑战。作为在解释性学科中写作的学者,这种与“他者性”的相遇体现在我们选择作为研究对象的主题上,体现在我们定位知识的解释性镜头上,以及为我们的发现提供信息的制度、社会和个人影响上。在一个全球化的世界里,文化翻译的实践,作为我们理解我们所感知到的差异的方式,不仅发生在“外面”的世界,而且发生在我们家门口。作为“其他物体中的物体”,我们的愿望是在与他人的关系中理解我们自己,并在我们研究的材料和我们致力于写作的实践中解释我们周围看到的其他人。简而言之,我们渴望通过自己的方式来解决他人的焦虑。本文将探讨文化翻译作为一种跨文化相遇的伦理制度,它重新审视现存的权力关系,抵制本质主义;在这种政体中,文化边界不被视为障碍,而只是跨文化关系的开端。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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