Translation and language contact in multicultural settings

Abstract

This article addresses the role of translation in the construction of cultural identities in multicultural and host settings. Approaching migration as a form of translation in terms of relexification, cannibalism and hybridization, the essay discusses the example of a new English variety which was developed by Asian immigrants who moved to Sicily. It is suggested that this Indian-Anglo-Italian hybrid variety has been built upon a process of relexification during which Asian immigrants translate their local language into English by keeping the syntactic structure of their native language in the English sentence and by adding a mixture of Sicilian-Italian words. In this context, immigrants are viewed as translators of their own culture and language. This type of hybridity is also approached as a cannibalistic practice which devours the host culture and transforms the target language. The article argues that both relexification and cannibalism constitute resistive practices against a monolingual society, allowing non-native speakers of English to explore new areas of cultural and linguistic innovation.

Keywords:

• translation
• language and culture
• migration
• diaspora
• language contact
• hybridism
• local/global
• Asian community/Sicilian community
• Indian English/Italian-Sicilian

Notes

This section draws upon and develops elements from Rizzo (2006).