ABSTRACT
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in 2015 establishes access to justice and social inclusion as one of its strategic objectives (goal 16). The UN global development goals have acted as a trigger for some Latin American countries with a significant presence of speakers of indigenous languages to reveal spaces for translation and interpreting that were before operating under a monolingual rule (although not a monolingual reality). The chapter analyzes the emergence of the profession of public service interpreting and translation in Mexico’s national indigenous languages. It draws on data from ethnographic fieldwork carried out over a decade in the states of Puebla and Oaxaca, working with civil organizations, professional interpreters, and governmental departments responsible for language policies. We reflect on indigenous people’s rights from a decolonial approach, providing insights into decolonial translation and civil society mobilizations. A central concept in our analysis draws back to the sociology of absences as developed by Sousa Santos. We conclude acknowledging the steps that have been taken since 2007 to recognize the rights of the indigenous population through the right to interpreting.
