Academic knowledge, translation and geopolitics

Abstract

Translation as a translingual and transcultural practice plays a central role in reinforcing or challenging geopolitical configurations of knowledge circulation. It has transformational potential vis-à-vis political and intellectual hegemony. Counter-hegemonic practices of translation include the selective adoption of specific works to be transposed and the transformation of their textual interface in the target language. Translation is a way to modify discourses, engage in geopolitical shifts or advance ideological agendas. In this sense, current geopolitical shifts, including China's rise, reveal the many aspects that come with the translocal legitimation of knowledge.