ABSTRACT
The practice of translation in Sub-Saharan Africa is virtually as old as communication through the spoken word. Numerous studies have shown that multilingualism is part and parcel of the very make-up of Sub-Saharan Africa (Greenberg 1955). Given the multiplicity of ethnic communities in this region (there are over 100 in Cameroon alone), translation has always been, and still is, the order of the day. The history of translation in Sub-Saharan Africa can be subdivided into three major eras: pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial. In all three eras, translation played a crucial role in the political, economic and cultural survival of the African people.
