Translational assimilation

Migration involves adjustment of one culture with another, perhaps totally alien culture. Generally the immigrant community tries to blend in with the native culture. This could be for a variety of reasons, the foremost being economic. Immigrants have to know the local language if they have to get reasonably good jobs that will ensure a decent income. For instance, Indians emigrating to English speaking countries like UK and USA need to be good at spoken and written English if they are interested in getting opportunities in what are called ‘white collar’ areas. Unskilled jobs with less or no job security are reserved for non-English speakers. So, it is in the best interests of the immigrants to learn the local language. Moreover, knowledge of the language makes it easier for the immigrant to understand and assimilate the local culture. This strategy is what Cronin terms ‘translation assimilation’, by which the immigrants “seek to translate themselves into the dominant language of the community” (52). As he puts it: “Translating oneself into the language of the host community is not only a way of understanding how that community thinks and functions but also a way of allowing oneself to become a fuller and more active member of it” (53). So the basic function of translation assimilation here is better employment opportunities and consequently a better way of life.

However, it is wrong to assume that it is only the immigrant language that gets influenced by the native language. It is a two-way process which often results in the ‘host’ language acquiring shades of the ‘guest’ language. The most common way in which this influence is manifested is in the appearance of foreign words. For example, the number of Indian words that have found their way into the English language and also into the dictionaries as respectable English words is large. This is due to the influence of Indians in Anglophone countries. In this context Cronin points out how English has a ‘migrant status’ by itself. Globalization has ensured that it is largely a ‘deterritorialized’ language, as it has also become the language of popular television and cyber worlds (56). It has thus effectively become the language of the modern world that transcends national boundaries. Mastery of this language means that translation is no longer necessary, for you are a citizen of the globalized world or are a ‘translated being’ yourself.