INTERCULTURAL MEDIATION THROUGH TRANSLATION IN THE

GLOBALISED WORLD: THE CASE OF „MINOR” LANGUAGES AND

LITERATURES
Oana Ursu

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to explore the way in which intercultural mediation is
carried out through translation within the present day globalized world, with a focus on the
position taken by the so-called “minor” languages and literatures, and more particularly, the
situation of Romania. Our investigations start from the assumption that “minor” languages
(Cronin, 1995), relegated to a position of marginality, are less often used as source language
in translation, being referred to, in Branchadell’s words (2005), as “less translated
languages”, and hence, less present on the international market. Nevertheless, as posited by
Zauberga (2000), this asymmetry can be played to the advantage of the “minor” language,
which could rely on translation as a cultural gateway for shifting from margin to the centre.