Translation as Resistance: Reclaiming Indigenous Voices in the 21st Century
Author : E Umachandrika and Dr. L Sangeetha
Abstract :
Translation in the twenty-first century has emerged as a critical site of resistance, particularly in the context of indigenous and marginalized literatures. Historically complicit in colonial expansion and epistemic domination, translation today functions as a counter-hegemonic practice that reclaims suppressed voices, restores cultural memory, and challenges canonical exclusions. This paper examines the transformative role of translation in reviving indigenous narratives across postcolonial contexts, including Dalit literature in India, African indigenous writing, and Native American storytelling traditions. Drawing upon postcolonial translation theory, subaltern studies, and decolonial thought, the study argues that translation operates not merely as linguistic transfer but as political intervention. It enables cultural survival, reshapes academic canons, and constructs alternative archives in the digital age. However, ethical challenges—including appropriation, market-driven translation, and loss of cultural nuance—continue to complicate its emancipatory potential. Ultimately, this paper contends that translation in the 21st century functions as a decolonial praxis that reclaims narrative sovereignty for historically marginalized communities.
Keywords :
Translation Studies, Indigenous Literature, Decolonization, Subaltern Studies, Dalit Writing, Cultural Resistance.
