Beyond the Untranslatable
Theorizing Postcolonial Translation
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 17. August 2026
Book
Hardback
248 pages
978-1-041-12376-7 (ISBN)
Description
This collection examines postcolonial studies through the lens of translation studies, focusing on Asian and East Asian experiences. It redefines translation as a process of negotiating Otherness with language at its core.
Following Talal Asad and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's critique, the book shifts from subjectivity to subjectivation, arguing that subjects exist in reciprocal relationships with Others. It positions translation not as identity formation but as communication that occurs through engagement with Others in public spaces. The editors acknowledge that asymmetrical postcolonial situations create misunderstandings, suggesting that recognizing the impossibility of fully understanding Others may actually create opportunities for meaningful connection-introducing the concept of "commensurability of the incommensurable."
Offering a fresh theoretical framework that bridges disciplinary boundaries, this volume will interest scholars and students in postcolonial studies, translation studies, and Asian studies.
Following Talal Asad and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's critique, the book shifts from subjectivity to subjectivation, arguing that subjects exist in reciprocal relationships with Others. It positions translation not as identity formation but as communication that occurs through engagement with Others in public spaces. The editors acknowledge that asymmetrical postcolonial situations create misunderstandings, suggesting that recognizing the impossibility of fully understanding Others may actually create opportunities for meaningful connection-introducing the concept of "commensurability of the incommensurable."
Offering a fresh theoretical framework that bridges disciplinary boundaries, this volume will interest scholars and students in postcolonial studies, translation studies, and Asian studies.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Academic and Postgraduate
Illustrations
3 s/w Abbildungen, 3 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder
3 Halftones, black and white; 3 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-041-12376-7 (9781041123767)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Talal Asad | Jun'ichi Isomae | Naoki Sakai
Beyond the Untranslatable
Theorizing Postcolonial Translation
E-Book
approx. 08/2026
Routledge
€60.49
Not yet available
Talal Asad | Jun'ichi Isomae | Naoki Sakai
Beyond the Untranslatable
Theorizing Postcolonial Translation
E-Book
approx. 08/2026
Routledge
€60.49
Not yet available
Persons
Talal Asadis a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, USA.
Jun'ichi Isomae is a Professor Emeritus at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, Japan.
Naoki Sakai is a Distinguished Professor of Asian Studies Emeritus at Cornell University, USA.
Katsuya Hirano is a Professor of Global Engagement at Kansai Gaidai University, Japan.
Gouranga Charan Pradhan is a Lecturer at ZEN University, Japan.
Jun'ichi Isomae is a Professor Emeritus at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, Japan.
Naoki Sakai is a Distinguished Professor of Asian Studies Emeritus at Cornell University, USA.
Katsuya Hirano is a Professor of Global Engagement at Kansai Gaidai University, Japan.
Gouranga Charan Pradhan is a Lecturer at ZEN University, Japan.
Content
Contents List of Figures List of Contributors Preface Jun'ichi Isomae, Katsuya Hirano and Gouranga Charan Pradhan Introduction: On the Heritage of Postcolonial Studies: Translation of the Untranslatable Talal Asad Part 1: Translating the Untranslatable 1. Translating the Untranslatable: Inheritance of the Postcolonial Studies Jun'ichi Isomae 2. Politics of Translation in East Asia: Natsume Soseki and his Idea of Untranslatability Gouranga Charan Pradhan 3. How to Count Languages; How to Classify Humanity Naoki Sakai Part 2: Ambivalent Power of Translations 4. What Is It to Be Secular? Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak 5. Settler-Colonial Translation: "Civilization" and the Ainu Voice Katsuya Hirano 6. Translating God(s): Religious Studies After the Postcolonial Moment Hent de Vries 7. China and the Conditions of Spatial Revolution: Twentieth-Century China as an Object of Thought Wang Hui Part 3: Round Table: Translating the Untranslatable 8. Round Table: Translating the Untranslatable Talal Asad, Marion Eggert, Ayako Kusunoki, Naoki Sakai, Gayatri Spivak, Hent de Vries, Katsuya Hirano, Manami Yasui, Jun'ichi Isomae (Yoshiaki Mihara, Gouranga Charan Pradhan, Norimasa Fujimoto and Kazuma Omura., eds) Epilogue: Reflections on the Question of Untranslatability Jun'ichi Isomae and Gouranga Charan Pradhan Index