Echoes of Erasure: Translation, Power, and Cultural Memory

Description

Page: 1442-1446

Anoushka Tanwar (Independent Scholar, English Solan, Himachal Preadesh)

This paper rethinks translation as a site of power- where language, identity, memory, and politics collide. It argues that translation has never been a neutral or purely linguistic act. From the colonial project to current-day digital tools, translation has been used to restructure meaning, often erasing what cannot be assimilated into dominant narratives. The paper critically examines colonial translation practices in India, mapping how English was elevated as the ‘language of reason’, while native tongues were either domesticated or dismissed. Translation here functioned as epistemic violence, fragmenting indigenous knowledge systems and replacing them with sanitized, colonial versions more palatable to Western readers and administrators. The paper then pivots to the digital now: to algorithms, AI tools, academic publishing, and global cultural industries that continue to prioritise accessibility over authenticity. It questions who the ideal reader of a translation is today, and what gets lost in making something marketable. These modern practices are framed as quiet repetitions of colonial logic, where linguistic and cultural discomfort are smoothed over for global consumption.