Translation and Teaching: the Dangers of Representing Latin America for Students in the United States

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to stimulate discussion on theproblematic issue of how Latin America is represented to English-speaking university students in the United States. I will focus onfour areas: the availability of works by Latin American author stranslated into English, the questionable paradigm of the "smooth" translation, how academics tend to teach Latin America to English-speaking students (especially in interdisciplinary programs) and, finally, the ways "first world" students often read "third world" literature in translation.