ABSTRACT

Antonio de Nebrija’s observation that language and empire go hand in hand has become a classic for most writers interested in exploring the connections between language, translation and empire. A number of publications have studied the role of translation in the emergence and consolidation of the Spanish empire, both as regards the creation of the colonial machinery and the evangelization process of the natives. Comparative studies of language and translation policies and practices among the various regions of the Spanish empire on the one hand, and between those of other European colonial powers on the other, could also provide insights into the intersections between language, translation, and empire. The language work carried out by Spanish missionaries has been the basis of a subdiscipline referred to as missionary linguistics, which has thrived and promises to provide more insights into the role of language and translation during the era of European empires.