The role of translation in Las Moradas

Abstract

Translation has a history not only in terms of its own diachronic development as a discipline but also in terms of the translator and the specific culture s/he represents. This study examines the role of Emilio Adolfo Westphalen as a translator in the magazine Las Moradas, outlines his definition of translation, and analyzes one of his translations in the magazine. Lefevere’s system of analysis is used to demonstrate Westphalen’s choice of translation strategies. This study establishes a relationship between Westphalen’s role as translator and his social and cultural environment, underscoring his role as a transformational writer. The critical approach employed in this study is a discursive analysis that starts at the macro level and ends with the analysis of the essay “El evangelio dialógico”. The way this study isolates the translator in relation to his social and political context and in terms of his literary idiosyncrasies helps emphasize the importance of the ideological underpinnings of the magazine Las Moradas and the subaltern position from which Westphalen translates.