Postcolonial scholarship has been primarily concerned with cultural translation, that is, translation understood figuratively as movement between cultures, and has had less regard for language issues, while translation studies has emphasized the complexity of translation as a linguistic practice that involves intercultural mediation. The time has come for dialogue between these two strands of thought, and for recognition of the importance of translation as not only a fundamental aspect of contemporary communication, but also a major shaping force in literary history around the world.