Translation in the feminine: Theory, commitment and (good) praxis

SynopsisThe gap between translation theory and practice can be narrowed by means of translators' self-reflections on their practice, although they need to acknowledge the specificity of their standpoint and avoid speaking from a transcendent position. This article engages in such self-reflective practice in order to denounce the strategies of stigmatization of feminist translation in the patriarchal defense of national culture and literary tradition. The nascent translation industry in Galicia is still marred by a bad praxis that exposes the power imbalance among the various actors involved in the translation process. Also, the introduction of the gender variable in the debate around the tensions between professional translators and amateurs reveals interesting loci of alternative practices. A plurality of translation actors, each of them enjoying some relative autonomy regarding their audience and objectives, seems more appropriate than a translation industry controlled by one, no matter how enlightened, single caucus.