Translation, Normalisation and Identity in Galicia(n)

This article approaches the role and position of literary translation in the Galician context during the 20th century. The socio-linguistic situation of the native language, Galego (Galician), and the asymmetrical relations of power with respect to Castilian have been shaping and determining the dynamics of translation, and, to a certain extent, Galician cultural life in general. Translation therefore appears as a crucial and ambiguous activity, both contributing to the process of linguistic and cultural normalisation but also revealing the lingering weakness of the target language. Translation therefore becomes a powerful mirror on which to contemplate pressing domestic debates on language and identity.