Bridging Cultures: The Impact of Susan Bassnett on Comparative Literature, Literary Translation, and Intercultural Communication

This paper critically examines Susan Bassnett’s transformative influence on comparative literature, literary translation studies, and intercultural communication. Drawing on her extensive body of work, Bassnett reconceptualized translation as a cultural transfer embedded within ideological, political, and historical contexts, shifting scholarly attention from purely linguistic concerns to sociocultural, ethical, and interdisciplinary perspectives. The study situates Bassnett within the broader intellectual currents of the “cultural turn,” emphasizing her insistence on translation as an active, interpretive practice that encompasses rewriting, translator visibility, and ideological mediation. In comparative literature, her interventions challenged Eurocentric and canon-centered frameworks, advocating for transnational and intercultural readings of literary texts. In literary translation studies, Bassnett’s theoretical contributions legitimize the translator’s role as a culturally and ethically engaged agent, shaping reception, literary value, and meaning across diverse contexts. Furthermore, her scholarship informs intercultural communication by highlighting the political, cultural, and ethical stakes of translation in cross-cultural encounters, migration, and globalized media. Methodologically, the paper employs a critical literature review, conceptual analysis, and illustrative case studies—including the translation histories of Latin American and African literature—to demonstrate practical implications of her theories. The findings indicate that Bassnett’s interdisciplinary and culturally grounded approach continues to influence contemporary scholarship, provoking critical reflection on Eurocentrism, methodological scope, and pedagogical practice. The study concludes by exploring implications for translation pedagogy, cultural policy, and future research trajectories in intercultural communication, offering a framework for analyzing translation as both a scholarly and socially transformative act. This study is a conceptual and critical analysis rather than an empirical investigation which adopts a conceptual and interpretive approach, offering a thematic analysis of Bassnett’s interdisciplinary contributions rather than an empirical investigation.