Translation, cultural translation and the hegemonic english

Abstract

This brief chapter problematizes the hegemonic position of the English language in Cultural Studies, which, in the author's view, can be understood as a moment that stands against a true internationalisation of the project. Following an argu-ment referring to the necessary 'translation' process (here seen as 're-articulation', 'transcoding' or 'transculturation') Stuart Hall has put forward al-most two decades ago, the essay, firstly, turns to the notion of 'linguistic transla-tions', and deals, secondly, with what has been coined 'cultural translation'. Dis-cussing approaches developed by Walter Benjamin, Umberto Eco and Homi Bha-bha, the complex relationship between the two terms is being investigated. Finally, in a modest attempt to throw some light on this hegemonic structure, central aspects of the output of three important journals (European Journal of Cul-tural Studies, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Cultural Studies), i. e. an analysis of the linguistic and institutional backgrounds of the authors of the ten most-read and most-cited essays, are presented. Based on these findings I argue that it is not simply the addition of the discur-sive field (language) to the academic space (institution) that defines the mecha-nism of exclusion and inclusion. Rather, it is the articulation of both moments, i.e. that of language and that of the institution, which-in various contexts (but in their own very definite ways)-can help to develop that structure which at present is still hindering a further, more profound internationalisation of the project that is Cultural Studies.