Delving into the translator identity from a translingualism perspective

Abstract

The theory of translingualism has been well constructed in sociolinguistics, yet it has not been applied fully to the study of literary translation and translator identity. This paper attempts to analyze the English version of Mayra Montero’s Spanish novel In the Palm of Darkness (1997) within the framework of translingualism. Through the analysis of code-meshing and code-switching events, this article focuses on the identity construction of Edith Grossman, the English translator of the novel In the Palm of Darkness. The occurrence of translingualism is attributed to the complex dynamics of ethnic identity. Through co-participating in the construction process of Montero’s identity in different scenarios, namely resistance, transformation, and inclusiveness, translingualism helps to solve problems of translation methods on a micro scale, translator identity on a meso scale, and the approach of native culture ‘going global’ on a macro scale.