Abstract
This chapter analyzes translations made into Spanish in Argentina of Social Sciences and Humanities books between 1990 and 2011. Argentina occupies a doubly peripheral position in the global system of symbolic production. First, its language, Spanish, is peripheral in comparison to English and, although to a lesser extent, to French and German. Second, scientific and cultural geopolitics indicate that the United States and Europe are the main producers and communicators in all areas of scientific output. The decision to focus on translations made in Argentina has been taken not just out of theoretical concerns—margins are key to understanding the centers—but empirical concerns too. Based on the analysis of bibliographical statistical data and of a series of interviews, this study compares translations from French, English, German, Italian and Portuguese. The chapter further explores the system of conditions that leads publishers to prefer certain languages over others, as well as the ways in which the structure and functioning of publishing affect the valuation of the intellectual production of different languages and countries.
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Notes
- 1.
We would like to especially thank Heber Ostroviesky, who was involved in the initial stages of our research and then continued reading drafts, making comments, and offering advice throughout the process.
- 2.
Regarding a critique of the use of translation as a metaphor in anthropological theory, see Sorá (2017).
- 3.
El libro en cifras. Boletín estadístico del libro en Iberoamérica. CERLALC, Bogota, 2016.
- 4.
Ultimately, for our aims here, it is necessary to compare the dynamics of production, circulation and value of scientific ideas in books and in journals at certain times and certain places. The CONICET team at Interco-SSH has begun research into both books and journals, although it is not yet possible to reach definitive conclusions given the current state of knowledge. Works by Fernanda Beigel and Maximiliano Salatino (2015; Beigel 2014) on scientific journals in Argentina will thus also be cited in this chapter, along with a recent study they have undertaken on competences and uses of languages among Argentine scientists.
- 5.
One hypothesis associated with the differences between the three markets that merits further research is the distinct configuration in terms of the importing and exporting of general reading books and, specifically, SSH books. Historically, the Spanish market was built on exporting to the colonies, while the Mexican publishing market yielded powerful transnational enterprises, especially in the social sciences, like Fondo de Cultura Económica and Siglo XXI (cf. Sorá and Blanco 2018, in this volume). Comparatively, Argentine publishers have had lower export ratios and in terms of the subject matter of their catalogues, national culture dynamics have prevailed.
- 6.
German’s surge in 2011 can be attributed to the launch of Vi-Da Global, a digital imprint that has released a great number of re-editions of SSH translations. While Vi-Da Global falls within our study parameters and is thus included in our analysis, it is necessary to treat it as a singular phenomenon because its working logic is different from the norm and could thus bias the sample.
- 7.
- 8.
On the early reception of Jacques Lacan’s work in Argentina, see Grisendi and Novello (2018).
- 9.
There is an English language version of this book, Language and symbolic power, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1991. This version differs from the original, however, as two essays have been left out and five others included.
- 10.
In collaboration with Ana Maria Almeida from the University of Campinas (Brazil ), Fernanda Beigel has begun a project on the uses of different languages by Argentine and Brazilian scientists.
- 11.
This term refers to translating a foreign language text in order to import it to one’s own culture.
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Sorá, G., Dujovne, A. (2018). Translating Western Social and Human Sciences in Argentina: A Comparative Study of Translations from French, English, German, Italian and Portuguese. In: Heilbron, J., Sorá, G., Boncourt, T. (eds) The Social and Human Sciences in Global Power Relations. Socio-Historical Studies of the Social and Human Sciences. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73299-2_10
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