Translation as a metaphor in the transcultural writing of two Latino Canadian authors, Carmen Rodriguez and Sergio Kokis
Creators: name: Montoya Martinez, Lilliana Maria
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2009
Subjects: subject: Literature, Canadian (English).
subject: Literature, Canadian (French).
subject: Hispanic American Studies.

description: More often than not, in theoretical discussions about translation, there has been a predominance of Western thought (Tymoczko, 2006). This dominance has been reflected principally in the concentration on linguistic aspects of translation, as well as in the importance given to written texts over any other form of expression. This fact has led to skepticism about metaphorical or non-linguistic studies of translation and non-Western approaches to this field. Nevertheless, there is a growing belief in Translation Studies that translation does not always involve a textual or linguistic practice, but that it can also take place within only one language, and even more, without implying any text at all (Bhabha, 1994; Venuti, 1992; Douglas, 1997; Young, 2003). Moving in that same direction, this thesis offers a metaphorical approach to translation that attempts to expand the boundaries of Translation Studies and resist certain previous Western-oriented conceptualizations of translation. Through examination of the works and a body to remember with and Le pavillon des mirors, written by Carmen Rodriguez and Sergio Kokis, respectively, this thesis contends that their fictional characters may be considered as both linguistically and culturally "translated beings" (Rushdie, 1991). Throughout this discussion, the concept of metaphorical translation refers to the never-ending process of transformation and transculturation that Rodriguez and Kokis' fictional characters undergo in their migrant experience. In other words, this thesis examines Rodriguez and Kokis' literary representations of migrants and their experience with translation as a transformation process. The dislocation caused by migration takes the form of social, linguistic, cultural, and psychological disarticulations, which are typified through images and metaphors of translation. These images and metaphors represent the main focus of analysis in this study. Therefore, this thesis brings about a broader idea of translation than the explicit interlingual transference of meaning. Both migration and its subsequent cultural mingling produce complex situations that are discussed in the works analyzed. First, this thesis examines the spatial and temporal related images and metaphors of translation within Rodriguez and Kokis' works. The aim here is to determine how these characters manage to overcome the loss of their place after migration and how this fact affects their roots. Second, in an attempt to evaluate whether the metaphorical translation of Rodriguez and Kokis' characters symbolizes a successful or a failed translation, this thesis considers specific aspects in characters' identity construction throughout the stories. Finally, their discourses are evaluated to discuss the linguistic conflicts stemming from the tension between mother tongue and adoptive language.