Literary Translation into Galician (1975-2020)

Translation into Galician, especially literary translation, experienced a period of splendour after 1975 when it became a fundamental tool to normalise and standardise the Galician language. Its study requires discriminating by genre of translation, distinguishing in particular between literary and non-literary translation; by direction, as well as statistically analysing the flows of literary translation concerning creation and translation in each direction. This quantitative basis enables to single out stages of particular interest, such as the period studied (1975-2020), and also to establish sub-stages within it.

This contribution presents an overview of contemporary literary translation into Galician. Beyond the particulars, we endeavour to perform a systemic analysis of contemporary Galician translation based on the assumptions of the sociology of translation and cultural studies. Quantitative aspects are assessed: translation flows, languages, cultures or countries from which references are imported, literary genres, collections, target audiences for originals and translations (which are not always the same), etc. And also qualitative aspects, such as the visibility of the translator, the role of translation in the domestic and foreign publishing sector, and the reception of translations in the Galician cultural system.

The conclusions of this analysis, as well as characterising contemporary literary translation in Galician, present the conditioning factors and the role of translation in the cultural and linguistic normalisation of Galician.