Translating Culture for Touristic Purposes: A Case Study

Abstract

Every year, tourism in Vigo is increasingly more important as a dynamizer of the city’s economy. In fact, since the beginning of this century, Vigo has received visitors from around 73 countries (among which the English-speaking countries, The UK, The USA, Ireland and Canada are key ones for the purpose of this study). The increasing number of cruiser tourists has also become a valuable asset which undoubtedly has an impact on this city’s economic growth and overall economy. Consequently, English is the most frequently-used language among the visitors who discover Vigo through the map they are provided with upon their arrival and the website www.turismodevigo.com. These materials will help demonstrate how translators need to tackle cultural barriers by modifying, adapting or omitting cultural content included in these touristic texts. As a result, this paper will show how translation is a key activity in the promotion of the wonders of this Galician west-coast city.