The Role of Interpreters during the Early Portuguese Presence in East Africa

Abstract

The entry of the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean caused hitherto mutually unknown societies to come into contact with each other. In this process, the figure of the interpreter played a key role. This article explores the complex relationship between the Portuguese and East African population, compared to their fifteenth-century expeditions on the West African coast. The paper addresses the tensions created by the interpreter/interpreted relationship; the key figures of the degradados, lançados and ‘slave–interpreter’ illustrate the different means by which the Portuguese interacted with sub-Saharan Africa. The Portuguese familiarity with Arabic facilitated their penetration into the Indian Ocean region. This paper argues, however, that since Arabic was already the lingua franca, the Portuguese found themselves in a superficially, but ultimately, disadvantageous position regarding their imperial ambitions in East Africa.