ABSTRACT
The notion that translation may be impossible has been a central point of concern for a long time, and has undergone a massive reinforcement with the onset of post-structuralism. This fixation on the problematic, on uncertainty and the impossible has contributed not only to an unfair picture of translation and the translator, but also to the division of cultures through its obsession with difference—a notion that is also central to any form of colonialism. One consistent flaw in the argument of untranslatability is its ignorance of the practical level, of the dynamic development of languages, and of the fact that it is, traditionally, a rather Eurocentric concept that is anchored in a narrow definition of translation itself, used by some for the proliferation of ideologies rather than as a sincere engagement with the art of translation. The point of this chapter is that translation builds bridges across languages and cultures: it facilitates communication because it is possible.
