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Central America, though affected for decades by profound socioeconomic transformations, has been more or less quiescent politically. The sudden eruption of revolutionary turmoil in the region, as seen in recent events in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala, has shattered the political status quo and cast Central America into the U.S. foreign poli

Address before the Royal institute of international affairs, London, May 15, 1947.

Central America is the name given to the isthmus connecting North America and South America. It is located mainly between 7 and 18 degrees north of the equator and consists of seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Together the Central American countries cover an area of approximately 523,000 square kilometers where some 50,690,000 inhabitants live. The region is bordered by the United Mexican States to the north, the Republic of Colombia to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Even before independence from Spain was declared in 1821, the Central American region was at a disadvantage if compared to other Spanish-speaking geopolitical hubs in the American continent. Until then, the region relied heavily on external agents for both publishing and obtaining printed materials of any kind. This did not favor the development of editorial ventures in general terms, let alone one that considered the translation of works other than diplomatic or political documents. The panorama changed very little with independence, and for much of the 19th century, translated materials were mainly imported (see Gapper 2008). It was not until the 20th century that a significant increase in local translation initiatives took place, primarily in the literary field. As the 21st century approached, with the growth of the service sector and the arrival of transnational companies, the demand for interpretation and translation services experienced a considerable increase. In this context, different local translations into Spanish of the so-called world literature classics began to be published. However, despite that progress, translation does not yet enjoy adequate recognition or study. In the academe, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama have seen the emergence of undergraduate and graduate study programs at the university level. Translation and Interpretation Studies (TIS), nevertheless, are still scarce in much of the region. ...