Intercultural Translation

 'Intercultural translation,' as conceptualized by Boaventura de Sousa Santos, involves bringing together diverse knowledge systems without suppressing or sidelining any of them. The idea is to facilitate a dialogue between different knowledge frameworks rooted in distinct cosmologies. Intercultural translation serves as a tool to initiate conversations that reveal overlooked knowledge and make various forms of oppression understandable.

 

In practical terms, Santos sees intercultural translation as a means of empowering marginalized groups, especially in the Global South. It goes beyond being a theoretical concept and should be applied in the political realm. Therefore, interpolitical and intercultural translation are interconnected and function together. This approach establishes a system of languages through which communal resistance efforts collaborate. Politically and culturally, intercultural translation develops a vocabulary that challenges and moves away from the Western universal paradigm.

 

In contrast to the Western paradigm, intercultural translation focuses on creating a knowledge system from the perspective of the Global South. It addresses the historical erasure and marginalization of certain groups due to Western ideas of inferiority. Intercultural translation goes beyond individual actions; it's a collective effort that revitalizes marginalized cultures, introducing new ways of thinking, knowledge constellations, and alternative ways of existence.

 

The goal of intercultural translation is to establish a foundation for achieving 'global social and cognitive justice.' Essentially, it seeks to fuel the creation of different possible worlds. Intercultural translation emphasizes both the existence of differences and similarities, facilitating the development of social connections among movements opposing colonialism, capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy. This opens up the potential for a grassroots political collaboration.