TRANSLATION AS A MEANS OF DOMINATION (BASED ON REBECCA KUANG’S NOVEL "BABEL")

Abstract

Due to the growing popularity of relatively new directions in the development of contemporary literature, namely the postcolonial tradition, multiculturalism, and transnationalism, we are also witnessing changes in the linguistic context. Progress towards globalisation, tolerance, and the erasure of boundaries between cultures make it possible to speak of «border literature». Therefore, the change and expansion of literary paradigms is inextricably linked to changes in the perception of language and translation, which unites the «linguistic images» of other countries and continents. The article is devoted to the examination of the concept of translation in the historical fantasy novel «Babel» by the contemporary Chinese-American writer and translator Rebecca Kuang. The article outlines the genesis and specificity of postcolonial literature, and examines its current status. The emphasis is on the complex correlation between postcolonial, multicultural and transnational literature. Postcolonial literature is mostly focused on decolonisation and the revival of what was marginalised in the times of empires. Multiculturalism as a literary ethos affirms the polyphony of cultures, and transnational literature interprets writers in the dimension of cosmopolitanism. It is established that these trends are manifested in the novel «Babel» at the thematic and problematic levels, as well as through the characters. The centre-symbol representing language in the novel is the tower of the Royal Institute of Translation, known as Babel. Here, the power of language acquires new, magical properties through silversmithing, a craft that requires knowledge of linguistic subtleties, because silver bars acquire magical properties through the discovery of language pairs and the detection of linguistic losses in translation. The art of translation, finding the right meanings and language pairs allowed Britain to build a strong empire in which knowledge is subordinated to power and used for further imperial plans. It has been found that Rebecca Kuang sees translation not only as a means of subjugation, but also interprets it as a means of liberation.