No, I will not translate for you

How does Gloria Anzaldua seek to decolonize our ways of knowing?

Time and time again we learn about the importance and power of languages. We discussed it when we spoke of Audre Lorde and Bell Hooks. It is also the quality you notice first about Gloria Anzaldua’s writing. She is not tied down by the limitations of one language, but instead expresses herself however is most authentic to her and her experience. Gloria seeks to decolonize our ways of knowing through language. It is such a personal quality because she refuses to only be one thing. And through that her book cannot only be seen as one thing. 

Gloria writes in 5 different languages or dialects. These are “English to Castillian Spanish to the North Mexican dialect to Tex-Mex to a sprinkling of Nahuatl” . According to Gloria the mixture of these languages reflects her own language “the language of the Borderlands”. The reason her choice of writing in these languages helps decolonize is because of the power dynamics present with language speaking. When a colonial power colonized an area, they forced the locals to speak like them, trying their best to eradicate the native culture. This invasive cultural hegemony erased many local languages spoken in South America. There was a clear line between the oppressor and the oppressed, the majority and the minority. 

This line is also evident when texts are translated. The burden of translation is unequally given to the minority groups. Since their culture is less well known, they not only have to translate the literal words but also translate the culture and its history. This same burden is not on the majority, when they translated works into minority languages because everyone is well versed in the hegemon’s culture. Gloria however refuses to translate her culture or even her language. She will make the majority work for the privilege of reading and understanding her writing. By doing this Gloria reclaims the power of knowledge and proclaims that her culture is worth the effort it takes to understand it. 

Her language is the Spanish spoken by the Chicano people. Chicano is a term used to describe the people of Mexican origin living in the United States since the early twentieth century. Gloria says “we Chicanos no longer feel that we need to beg entrance, that we need always to make the first overture- to translate to Anglos, Mexicans and Latinos, apology blurting out of our mouths with every step. Today we ask to be met halfway. This book is our invitation to you-from the new mestizas”. Through this book she is decolonizing and empowering her culture by acknowledging its right to exist as it is, unapologetic and authentic. 

Language and dialect has so much to do with who we are and how we think and act, that one cannot truly understand a work unless it is read in its original language. That is why Gloria writes the way she does. She acknowledges the influence of many cultures on her own through writing as any polylingual thinks. Gloria writes for people like her, other minorities and if the majority want to read her work, they had better put in effort to truly learn and understand her experience.