Comparative cultural studies and translation studies

In his article “Comparative Cultural Studies and Translation Studies” Paolo Bartoloni discusses the interstitial space of translation by drawing on literary and philosophical preoccupations, especially Giorgio Agamben’s notion of “potentiality.” Bartoloni proposes that the defintion and discussion of “potentiality” and the significance it represents ought to pass through a rethinking of translation studies, and asks what would happen if the focus of translation shifts from the final product—or from the relation between the source text and the translation—to the process of translating where distinct languages and cultures meet without superimposing own values onto the other. Bartoloni postulates that this process achieves relevance when located within a cultural dialogue from which a new reflection on translation, as well as literature and subjectivity can commence.