World Literature Studies 3 vol.
16 2024 (3)
EDITORIÁL / EDITORIAL
Translation, censorship, and marginalized voices:
Challenging power and economic barriers
IVANA HOSTOVÁ ‒ MÁRIA KUSÁ
© Institute of World Literature
Slovak Academy of Sciences
© Ivana Hostová, Mária Kusá 2024
Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Power and privilege are often manifested through erasure and suppression, oper-
ating in an inherently intersectional way, much like a fractal pattern in their com-
plexity and recurrence. When a group asserts its identity, it frequently marginaliz-
es or suppresses those who do not conform to its idealized or prototypical image.
In the current political climate – characterized by the rise of right-wing and pop-
ulist movements – it is vital to examine the nuances of cultural exchange and ex-
pose the blind spots and oversimplifications that shape our perceptions and actions.
This complexity is particularly important in translation studies, since translation
is a practice deeply intertwined with power, politics, economy, and identity. From
the historical struggles of marginalized literatures to the contemporary politics
of representation, it has played a crucial role in creation of cultures and their out-
er images. In many cases, translation becomes an arena of resistance where writers,
translators, and readers grapple with forces of censorship, colonialism, and global
power imbalances.
This issue of WORLD LITERATURE STUDIES brings together articles that ex-
plore the complex relationships between translation, censorship, and cultural iden-
tity. It investigates how translation can both reinforce and resist power structures.
Apart from the discussion of Roald Dahl, the articles focus on texts and translational
practices connected to Central and Eastern Europe. They explore issues such as the
curation of cultural exports through colonial intermediaries, censorship in literary
translation, and the impact of a country’s political, ideological, and economic condi-
tions on the reception of world literature and on minority literature. Further, they in-
vestigate how cultural actors navigate non-profit-driven areas of cultural production
and how accessibility for disadvantaged groups is provided in present-day Slovakia.
The issue also looks at how translators of theoretical works, such as philosophy and
translation studies, engage in dialogue with the authors of the texts. In the discussion
section, it explores the impact of global events on academic power dynamics, partic-
ularly in translation studies, and advocates for the decolonization of knowledge pro-
duction to promote greater inclusivity and representation of minority perspectives.
