ANGLO-SAXON IMPERIALISM THROUGH CULTURAL GOODS: TITLES SUGGESTED FOR YOUNG READERS IN PORTUGAL

Abstract Translation plays a vital role in the current multilingual and multicultural society. It is a fundamental infrastructure of globalization, functioning as an essential tool for the circulation of information, knowledge, and culture. Although English can be considered a lingua franca in certain sectors of society, the role of translation has not lessened with its rise. In fact, translation is a strong indicator of the relationships established between countries: international translation flows depend on the (im)balances of power in the world. In this paper I analyse relevant data to ascertain the weight of works originally written in English and translated into Portuguese, resorting to the national reading plan (PNL). After briefly addressing the influence of geopolitics in the trade of cultural goods and describing the world system of translation, I analyse the list of 345 books suggested in the national reading plan for 12-15 year olds. Almost half of these books are translations; however, this does not imply that the list is sufficiently multicultural, quite on the contrary as it shows the dominance of books written in English. A lot more can be done to diversify the source languages and expose Portuguese young readers to a wider variety of cultures.

摘要：翻译在当今多语言、多元文化的社会中发挥着至关重要的作用。它是全球化的核心基础设施，是信息、知识与文化流通的必要工具。尽管英语在部分社会领域可被视为通用语，但翻译的地位并未因其普及而削弱。事实上，翻译是国家间关系的重要表征：国际翻译流通状况取决于全球权力的（非）均衡格局。本文借助葡萄牙国家阅读计划（Plano Nacional de Leitura，PNL）的相关数据，分析原本以英语创作、后被译为葡萄牙语的作品的占比情况。在简要论述地缘政治对文化产品贸易的影响并阐述全球翻译体系后，本文针对面向12至15岁青少年的国家阅读计划书单中的345本图书展开分析。近半数书单图书均为译著，但这并不意味着该书单具备足够的多元文化属性；恰恰相反，其呈现出英语原创作品的主导地位。仍有大量工作可推进源语言的多样化，让葡萄牙青少年读者接触到更丰富的文化形态。