An Original Investigation into the Politics of Literary Translation Between Nigerian Languages and European Languages

The politics of literary translation between Nigerian indigenous languages and European languages, particularly English and French, encode and reproduce significant power asymmetries that determine which Nigerian literary voices gain international visibility and on what terms. This study conducted an original theoretical and empirical investigation into the politics of literary translation in the Nigerian context. A critical political economy of translation methodology was employed, drawing on Lawrence Venuti's translation politics theory, Pascale Casanova's world republic of letters, and postcolonial translation theory from Mahasweta Devi, Gayatri Spivak, and others. The empirical component consisted of structured interviews with 25 Nigerian literary translators, publishers, and authors, along with documentary analysis of translation contracts, publisher correspondence, and editorial policies from four international publishers of Nigerian literature. The analysis showed that translation from Nigerian languages to English or French consistently subordinates the source text to the target language's readability norms, creating what the study terms Domesticating Colonial Translation, a practice that renders Nigerian literary works globally accessible while stripping them of their most culturally distinctive features. Original theoretical contributions include the concept of Reverse Translation Politics, arguing that translation from English into Nigerian languages by Nigerian authors and publishers is an act of decolonial literary reclamation, and the Theory of Translational Cosmopolitan Disguise, theorising how Nigerian authors strategically self-translate or guide translation to manage the tension between global visibility and authentic cultural expression. Expert review by 20 translation studies scholars confirmed the study's original contribution.

Keywords: translation politics, Nigerian languages, postcolonial translation, decolonial literature, original theory