Us latina/o/x migrations, translations and routes of receptionAn integrated critique

Resumo

The object of study of this thesis is a special case of translation: the Anglophone literature of writers of Caribbean or Latin American origin in the United States translated into Spanish. This case is special because of the entwinement of the source and target languages and cultures, making it difficult to conceive of translation as the test of the foreign. The heterogeneity among Hispanophone readers along the transnational routes that these translations may travel further complicates assumptions based on foreignness. Consequently, an opportunity arises to develop empirical approaches to translation readers and their reading practices, which go beyond persistent national categories and presumed textual effects. Expanding Antoine Berman¿s method for translation criticism, this thesis provides an integrated translation critique of four short stories about migration written by Latina/o/x writers (Helena María Viramontes, Achy Obejas, Daisy Hernández, and Junot Díaz) and translated into Spanish. This integrated critique considers the source texts, translations and translators, as well as reception from two perspectives: 1) the receiving contexts of the authors¿ countries of origin (Cuba, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic) and Spain and 2) transatlantic readers through focus groups, questionnaires and ethnographic fieldwork. These analytical layers establish a comprehensive view of the cultural, linguistic, social, and political needs and expectations that are expressed through this special case of translation, including the effects of mobility on how these texts are interpreted and discussed. The integrated critique also allows for perspective-taking, such as holding up the claims made from the position of researcher against the views of other readers. Initially, identity-based approaches to these source texts are challenged for obscuring the rich literary detail they offer of migrant perspectives of social institutions and systems; however, ethnic and national identity, together with authenticity, are then found to be central when it comes to translating and reading these texts. This thesis stakes it contribution on the execution of its integrated critique, which is applicable to any case of translation, and the interdisciplinary insights it draws for translation studies, Latina/o/x studies and sociology.