Hello Language Lovers! In this episode of Speaking Tongues, we are talking with Iliana Franco Alvarenga, a passionate Guaraní translator and linguistic activist. Iliana shares her journey of growing up in Paraguay, embracing her heritage language Guaraní, and the complexities of translating it in a world often dominated by hegemonic languages.
We’re exploring the linguistic features of Guaraní, its agglutinative nature and the unique ways it expresses meaning through verb forms, suffixes, and cultural nuances. Iliana explains how translation serves as a powerful tool for advocacy, making Guaraní audible and visible in spaces like schools, courts, and literature, thus asserting the rights of its speakers to understand and be addressed in their own language.
In this episode, we discuss:
🇵🇾The significance of Guaraní as an official language in Paraguay and its role in daily life.
🇵🇾The innovative ways Guaraní structures meaning, including directionality and evidence in verb forms.
🇵🇾The challenges and responsibilities of translating indigenous languages and the importance of cultural permission.
🇵🇾The impact of translating children's literature in Guaraní on community identity and pride.
🇵🇾The dynamic interplay between Guaraní and Spanish in Paraguayan society, known as Jopará.
A big thank you to Iliana for sharing your insights and experiences with us. If you enjoyed this episode of Speaking Tongues, please subscribe, rate, and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers can find the show! You can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. And don’t forget to check out my food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1., available for purchase now! Links to all platforms are below!
To Connect with Iliana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iliana-franco-alvarenga/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambue.translations/
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