Translation Studies and translation didactics in Mexico

Abstract

The object of this paper is to show the main features of Translation Studies (TS) in Mexico, especially in terms of the figure of researcher in translation and interpretation, types of translation and methods of investigation considered by the Mexican researchers, and the options students have when they want to develop translation and interpretation skills. This study is based on the qualitative method of analysis of the data coming from Mexican interviewees, some official documents and information derived from international and Mexican institutions as well as from the direct experience of the author. The paper reveals that research in TS performed in Mexico is limited to a few groups of researchers, individual projects, PhD and MA investigations. The main branches of TS are literary translation and translation of specialist texts. The methods most frequently used by researchers include (trans)cultural, postcolonial and feminist theories, and corpus linguistics. There are three international translation and interpretation congresses but only one of them publishes congress’ papers. There is no specialised journal; research studies are dispersed in many literary and linguistic journals or published abroad. Teaching of translation and interpretation is dominated by English as the second language and it is concentrated at BA programme. Only a very limited number of universities provide translation and interpretation training in French, German or Italian at MA programme. The study emphasises a very specific situation as far as community interpretation of the indigenous (national) languages is concerned as well as the formation and training of community interpreters. In conclusion it is explicitly claimed in the paper that the TS in Mexico are still at their initial stage in terms of the organisation of research projects, congresses and publications. The main problem is the exchange of results of individual research, finding relevant balance between different states and special attention that Mexican institutions have to pay to the formation of interpreters of the indigenous languages.