TranslatingandInterpretingintheContextofMediationforIndigenousRightsinPeru

RosaleenHoward(NewcastleUniversity)RaqueldePedroRicoy(Heriot-Wa;University)

LuisAndradeCiudad(Pon?ficiaUniversidadCatólicadelPerú)

1stInternationalForumonSocialActivisminTranslationandInterpreting,heldinGranadafrom28thto30thApril2007,Declaration:We(…)callupontranslators,interpreters,researchersandstudentsofTransla7onandInterpre7ngwhoareawareoftheneedforachangeofdirec7onintheseprofessionstoputtheirknowledgeattheserviceofsocietyasawhole,andofallsocie7es,withtheaimof:•  buildinginterculturalsocie7eswhich,withoutadverselyaffec7ngthehostcultures,favourcommunica7onandmutualenrichmentamongthedifferentculturespresentineachsociety;

•  reinforcinglinksbetweensocialmovementsaroundtheworldthatworktopromoteamorejustsociety;

•  defendinglanguagediversitythroughmakingtransla7onsavailableandshowingrespectfortheequaldignityofeverylanguageinallspheres,includingacademiccircles,facedwiththehegemonicdominanceofcoloniallanguages;(…)

Aimsoftheproject

•  Toiden7fyandcri7callyanalysetheissuesrelatedtotransla7onandinterpre7ngwhichariseduringtheimplementa7onofindigenousrightslegisla7onamongtheAndeanandAmazonianpeoplesofPeru.

•  Tofocusonthechallengesfacedbyindigenoustranslatorsandinterpreterswhenprac7singincontextswheretheoJentenserela7onsbetweentheStateandtheindigenouspeoplesofPeruarebroughttothefore.

EthnolinguisticmapofPeru47languages,16languagefamiliesHighlands:Quechua,Aymara,JaqaruAmazonia:Ashaninka,Shipibo,Awajún,Matsigenkaandmanymore

Miningconcessionsinthehighlands

OilextractionconcessionsinAmazonia

Context:confrontationbetweenAwajúnpeopleandtheStateatBagua,N.Peru,2009

LanguagerightsandPeruvianlegislation

•  1993:StateCons*tu*on.Art.48guaranteesspeakersofindigenouslanguagestherighttoaninterpreter

•  2003:LeydeLenguas(28106).IndigenousLanguagesAct•  2007:DecretodeLeydeLenguas.Execu7veOrderonLanguages

•  2011:LeydeLenguas(29735).IndigenousLanguagesAct•  2011:LeydelDerechoalaConsultaPrevia(29785).RighttoPriorConsulta7onAct

LeydeLenguas/LanguagesAct•  Regulatestheuse,preserva7on,development,revitalisa7on,promo7onanddiffusionoftheindigenouslanguagesofPeru.

•  Art.4statesthattheen7tlementtotheservicesofa“translator”forcommunica7onpurposesbetweenindigenouspeopleandthepublicsectorisahumanright.

LawontheRighttoPriorConsultation

•  AimstoreachanagreementorconsentbetweentheStateandtheindigenousororiginarypeoples[...]bymeansofaninterculturaldialoguewhichguaranteestheirinclusioninthedecisionmakingprocessesoftheStateandtheadop7onofmeasureswhichrespecttheircollec7verights(Art.3).

•  Art.16guaranteestherighttoaninterpreterinpriorconsulta7onprocesses,whomustbetrainedinthespecificsubjectma`erandregisteredbythegovernmentalbodyspecialisedinindigenousaffairs.

Institutionalresponse•  TheDirectorateforIndigenousLanguages(DireccióndeLenguasIndígenas),whichispartoftheMinistryofCulture,setupatrainingprogrammetoqualifytranslatorsandinterpreters(CursoBásico)in2012.

•  Therehavebeeneightedi7onsoftheCurso.253translators/interpretershavebeenqualifiedand14languageshavebeencovered.

•  Ini7alemphasisonPriorConsulta7onprocesses.Subsequently,PSITalsocovered.

Trainingoftranslators/interpreters•  Three-weekintensiveprogramme(CursoBásico),whichleadstomembershipoftheofficialregister

•  Specialisedworkshops(e.g.health,jus?ce)•  TrainingworkshopsforthoseworkinginPriorConsulta?onprocesses,jointlyfacilitatedbytheMinistryofCultureandtheMinistryofEnergyandMines

•  Placements

Positiveoutcomes•  Thefigureoftheindigenoustranslator/interpreterhasgainedvisibilityand,forthefirst?me,hasbeenofficiallyrecognisedbytheState.

•  Indigenouspeopleswhohadnotbeenpreviouslyincontacthavebeenabletonetworkanddeveloplinks.

•  ANa?onalAssocia?onofindigenoustranslatorsandinterpreters(ANTRAIN-PERU)hasbeencreated.

•  Thetransla?onoflegalandparalegaltextshasincreasedthewri;encorpusinsomeoftheindigenouslanguages.

•  Linguis?chumanrightshavebeenpromoted.Translatorsandinterpretersareseen,andseethemselves,asguarantorsofthevisibilityandrevitalisa?onoftheirlanguages.

Challenges•  Trainingprovision:

•  LengthoftheCurso•  Differentbackgrounds,educa?onallevelsandexperienceofthepar?cipants•  Non-languagespecific

•  Professionalprac?ce•  Publicandins?tu?onalpercep?ons•  Percep?onsoftheusersofinterpre?ngservices•  Neutralityvs.allegiance•  Co-presenceofinterpretersqualifiedbytheDirectorateofIndigenous

Languagesanduntrained,localinterpretersinPriorConsulta?onprocesses•  Lackofagreementastotranscrip?onssystems(alphabets)forindigenous

languages•  Difficul?esoftransla?ngtechnicalandlegalterminologyintolanguagesthat

havenoequivalents•  Asymmetryofdiscursiveandtext-genericpa;ernsbetweenSpanishandthe

indigenouslanguages•  Languagehegemony:Spanishasalinguafranca

Conclusion•  Thelanguagesitua?oninPeru,apost-colonialState,hasbeen,historically,characterisedfortheviola?onoflinguis?chumanrights.Itremainscomplexandasymmetrical.

•  Ifitistosucceed,thetrainingini?a?vehastobeembeddedin,andbackedby,widerpoliciesinsupportofindigenousrights.

•  TheStateandcivilsocietyhavetotakeresponsibilityinthedefenceandpromo?onoflinguis?chumanrights,whichcannotbemerely“devolved”totheindigenoustranslatorsandinterpreters.

•  Theinterac?onoftranslatorsandinterpreterswithpublicins?tu?onsneedstobestrengthened,sothatnotonlythescopeoftheirrole,butalsoitslimitsandcomplexityareproperlyunderstood.