Sharon Dodua Otoo, ‘Ada’s Realm’ (trans. by Jon Cho-Polizzi) and Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, ‘The Language of Languages’
As a consequence of colonialism, the relationship between languages is often a hierarchical one. In "The Language of Languages", Kenyan writer Ngūgī Wa Thiong'o addresses this issue from a variety of points of view, and ultimately suggests the idea of a network of languages instead, with translation at its centre, where "all languages end up giving to and taking from each other, laying the groundwork for a complex independence and interdependence within and between cultures". While this might be only something we can dream about for now, it is without a doubt a great way to think about translation and its future. This idea is also explored by Jon Cho-Polizzi, translator of Ada's Realm: "On a historical scale, translation is intrinsically tied to projects of colonisation – attempts to extract greater profit or maintain structures of power through controlling access to the language and culture of the colonised subject." Translation theory itself, Cho-Polizzi states, has historically been a eurocentric discipline which should be decentralised.
The idea of an existing hierarchy of languages complicates the reasons why an author might choose to write in a language other than their mother tongue. For example, Sharon Dodua Otoo's decision to write in German rather than her native English could, in a way, be seen as a reaction against the universal dominance of English: even though her book could only reach German speaking readership (smaller than the English), until it got translated, Otoo decided to write in German. The narrative is also largely about being a black person in Germany, and it seemed an important story to incorporate into the idea of what German literature is: as she notes, German literature has long been dominated by a homogenous group, making her choice an act of resistance.
Although engaging deeply with the violence and inequality which are part of the legacy of colonialism, both Ada’s Realm and The Language of Languages offer us a hopeful outlook on a fairer, less eurocentric world.
