TRANSLATION AS ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT IN PAKISTAN: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Translation has long been seen as a technical task involving the transfer of meaning from one language to another. However, a growing number of scholars now argue that translation is much more than that. It is a social and political act that can either support or challenge existing power structures. This paper presents a systematic literature review of research on translation as a form of advocacy and empowerment, with special attention to the Pakistani context. Pakistan has over seventy languages, yet millions of citizens face barriers to healthcare, legal services, and education because of language inequality. Translation education at Pakistani universities still focuses mainly on grammar and text-based exercises, with little attention to social responsibility or ethics. Drawing on frameworks from Inghilleri (2009), Cordingley and Manning (2017), Baker (2006), and Tymoczko (2007), this review argues that translation curricula in Pakistan must be redesigned so that graduates understand their role as agents of social change. Four themes are examined: translation as activism, the ethical duties of translators, curriculum gaps in Pakistani higher education, and recommendations for reform. The paper concludes that advocacy-based translation education is not only an academic goal but an urgent social necessity in Pakistan.