On the Trail of the First Interpreters in Early British Colonial Trinidad: An Exploration of Relevant Historical Aspects

• Published in: Vertimo studijos Vol. 16; no. 16; pp. 81 - 99
• Main Author: Hoyte-West, Antony
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vilniaus Universiteto Leidykla 11.10.2023; Vilnius University Press
• Subjects: 19th Century; Social history; Translation Studies; the Capitulation; history of interpreting; interpreting; Thomas Picton; Trinidad
• ISSN: 2029-7033; 2424-3590
• DOI: 10.15388/VertStud.2023.5

With practitioners becoming increasingly of interest to translation historians, this study explores the presence of translators and interpreters in the sociocultural milieu of early British-ruled Trinidad. As an erstwhile Spanish colony with a significant Francophone influence, early 1800s Trinidad was a multilingual entity. The selected case studies track the presence of translators and interpreters at two key contemporary events: the Capitulation of 1797, which established British rule over the island, and the famous 1806 London-based torture trial of the islands first British governor, Sir Thomas Picton. Adopting a postcolonial lens, the information presented is based on the examination of relevant early nineteenth-century sources. Noting the understudied nature of this geographical area and historical era, the insights outlined in this exploratory study aim to provide a useful starting point for further discussions of the ideological context surrounding translators and interpreters in multilingual colonial Trinidad.