Сultural turn in Ukrainian translation

Abstract

The article aims to provide an overview of core knowledge and theoretical assumptions on recognizing translation as a tool for social and cultural change, particularly evident in postcolonial contexts marked by linguistic discrimination and inequity as well as accentuate on the “cultural turn” in Ukrainian context. The phenomenon comes to be viewed as a noteworthy shift from traditional linguistic conversions towards the ones to incorporate cultural and ideological transfer that is extremely important for the current Ukrainian political agenda.

In the context of translation studies, the “cultural turn” has had a significant impact on how scholars and practitioners approach the process of translating texts from one language and culture to another. Current advances in translation studies since the late 1990s have exposed a notable shift towards examining the ideological and sociopolitical dimensions of translation. This paradigm overwhelms the idea that every translation is not only a linguistic, but also a social and cultural notion, and accordingly, the latter extends beyond linguistic conversions that invariably encompasses the transfer of meaning from one culture to another. Rather than viewing translation as a simple transfer of meaning between languages, we recognize the translator as an active agent, intervening in political and ideological processes. These acknowledge translator’s role as the one encompassing domination, oppression, submission, or resistance within social groups, i.e., more than a mere reproduction or ‘replay’ of the author’s individual style. Consequently, translation is viewed as a tool for social and cultural change, particularly evident in postcolonial contexts marked by linguistic inequality. The 1990s witnessed the emergence of postcolonial translation theories, applicable not only to explicit postcolonial conditions but also to the context of the language discrimination. The above-mentioned issues come to be extremely imperative on the current Ukrainian ideological agenda when accentuating on the problems of how translations help to create national identity resilient to the russian cultural domination.