ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the question of translational justice and illustrates the terrain of translational justice and sets out some normative signposts. It articulates three possible theories of translational justice: the privation theory, the full translation theory and the multilingualism-with-limited-translation theory. In the privation theory, there is no independent direct source of legitimacy for providing translation: the existence of translation is a regrettable state of affairs only justifiable as a temporary absence of shared knowledge of a shared language. While the privation theory embraces a negative view of translation as perhaps necessary but always regrettable, the full translation view argues for translational rights on the basis of the identity-based language rights of individuals. The chapter concludes with outlining a third, dual position grounded in both identity and instrumental linguistic interests: such a theory integrates translation services for identity purposes and language acquisition coupled with temporary translation services for instrumental reasons.
