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Language Minorities in a Globalized Economy: The Case of Professional Translation in Canada

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The Palgrave Handbook of Minority Languages and Communities

Abstract

This chapter offers a summary of the work of professional translators as it relates to linguistic minority communities. It focuses specifically on the role translation plays for linguistic minorities in the context of a globalized economy. After first examining the impact of translation in shaping the dissemination of minority languages in general, it draws attention to the changing practices in professional translation as a result of globalization and increased technological automation. In conclusion, a case study is presented of the transformations that have marked the government of Canada’s Translation Bureau since the mid-1990s. The chapter illustrates that for members of linguistic minority communities, translation is intrinsically linked with language ideologies, language policies, power relations, language rights, and identity.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The official languages of Canada are English and French. Enacted in 1969, the Official Languages Act of Canada gives English and French equal status throughout the government of Canada. English is the official language of 58% of the population, and French is the official language of close to 22% of the population. Close to 21% of Canadians have a mother tongue that is neither English nor French. For example, there are more than 60 aboriginal languages in Canada grouped in 12 different language families, the largest of which is Algonquian, followed by Inuit. These languages, however, have no official recognition in the Canadian Constitution. Only the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, two of the three territories located in the Canadian North, have conferred official status to certain aboriginal languages. None of the ten Canadian provinces have followed suit. Besides English, French, and the numerous aboriginal languages, there are, across Canada, over 200 other mother tongues spoken in Canada (immigrant mother tongues). The most important ones are Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Punjabi, Spanish, Italian, German, Tagalog, Arabic, Polish, and Portuguese.

  2. 2.

    For more information on computer-aided translation tools, that is, translation memory and machine translation, please refer to Garcia (2014) and Kenny (2011).

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Acknowledgment

I would like to thank my research assistant, Marc-André Bouchard, for his tremendous help, as well as Karen Spracklin for revising the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculté des arts et des sciences sociales, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB, Canada

    Matthieu LeBlanc

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  1. Matthieu LeBlanc
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Correspondence to Matthieu LeBlanc .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

    Gabrielle Hogan-Brun

  2. Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

    Bernadette O’Rourke

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LeBlanc, M. (2019). Language Minorities in a Globalized Economy: The Case of Professional Translation in Canada. In: Hogan-Brun, G., O’Rourke, B. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Minority Languages and Communities. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54066-9_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54066-9_13

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-54066-9

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