Intercultural path in the translation of Black feminine poetics

Abstract

This article offers a critical reflection on the intercultural translation of Afro-diasporic women’s writings, focusing on the poems “Island Gyal,” by Melania Luisa Marte, and “Menina Princesa,” by Raquel Almeida. The analysis investigates how the translational gesture, when shaped by insurgent linguistic variants such as African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and pretuguês, can assume political, aesthetic, and affective dimensions. Drawing on theoretical frameworks by Walter Benjamin, Haroldo de Campos, Lélia Gonzalez, Leda Maria Martins, and John Keene, the article argues that translating Afro-diasporic texts requires close attention to the cultural and linguistic marks embedded in these poetics, lest translation fall into erasures that reinforce hegemonic dynamics of silencing. The translational decisions examined – ranging from title choices to the treatment of orality, rhyme, and semantic ambiguity – demonstrate that translation can operate as a critical and creative act, opening spaces for the reinscription and circulation of Black expression. Along this path, translation is reaffirmed as a cultural intervention capable of amplifying the shared experiences of the African diaspora.