El español de los EUA como fruto de la hibridación: nuevos dilemas en traducción

Abstract

In the last 30 years, it can be observed an intense migratory phenomenon of the Spanish-speaking population from Mexico and the Caribbean into the USA, which is evident in the culture and the languages of both communities in contact, and which has brought about the growth of the population of Hispanic origin in the USA. In this context in which hybridity is a reality whose present seems to persist in frontiers that get blurred, but which are also preserved at the same time, we will explore those aspects related to translation within the context of hybridity and the role of the translator as an intermediary committed to both languages, in the light of the emergent linguistic policies of recent decades. It is relevant to notice that the written Spanish variant used in the USA to inform and communicate is to a very large extent a mere product of translation. Given the growing number of Spanish-speaking individuals and, consequently, the exponential increase in the use of Spanish, we find a singular scenario where translation studies, which lack theoretical and empirical research, just focus on the reality of a language that evolves within a bilingual society like the USA at present. We gather that translation as a discipline that tensely operates between the borders of these two cultures must respond with relevant criteria and strategies to the communicative needs of those who inhabit those spaces.