The potential of an Afrikaans translation of Zakes Mda’s The Heart of Redness to renew the South African national narrative

Abstract

This study demonstrates one possible way of countering social stratification and creating an inclusive South African identity–renewing the South African national narrative to include the narratives of the people groups that were pushed to the periphery of society during the previous political dispensation might work towards such an identity. Therefore, a case is made for increased intercultural translation in the South African context and Critical Translation Studies is suggested as a theoretical framework for the use of translation in narrative creation. Critical Translation Studies is defined as _a cultural studies approach to the study of translation […] with an implicit focus on translation as a social practice shaped by power relations in society‘ (Robinson, 2017:i) making it particularly relevant. The aim of the study will be achieved through a theoretical discussion of what a national narrative entails and by illustrating how translation can facilitate narrative creation in the context of the Afrikaans literary canon through an Afrikaans translation of Zakes Mda‘s The Heart of Redness (2000). The purpose of this translation is to show how text choice and particular translation methods facilitate cultural understanding and counter cultural isolation and literary stratification. In addition, the role of language as an identity marker, an explanation of why an Afrikaans translation can be considered as important, and the function of translation as intercultural mediation will be provisionally explained, since the interrelationality between language, identity and culture also needs to be investigated to comprehend the scope of the study.