About us

“Translating Minority Voices” Network – Call for papers

Seminar Series 2022-23

Over the past few decades, new ways of thinking and communicating have made their way to the forefront of intellectual discussions, questioning dominant discourse and de-centering social and cultural norms. This paradigm shift is especially visible in the growing interest in postcolonial and decolonial studies, sociolinguistics and gender studies.

Researchers working in these disciplines are striving to increase the visibility and audibility of the voices of minority groups, historically left on the sidelines. Such minorities can be heard in regional languages, dialects and sociolects, languages of formerly colonised countries and diasporas, but also through female/feminist, queer, or youth voices. Translators are having to grapple with these shifts, considering power dynamics between languages, the reception of otherness and the positioning of the translator and of readers. 

Building on the papers presented at our 2021 conference and the seminars and discussions between September 2021 and June 2022, this network aims to continue and deepen the reflection on the translation of minority voices and to open up new discussions. We plan to address a variety of issues in multilingual contexts, including the ethical positioning of the translator, perceptions of authenticity, commercial constraints influencing the translation process, creativity, self-translation, re-translation and non-translation, the tension between oral and written, standardisation, and the construction of identity. In exploring tese questions, we aim to move away from the homogenising vision sometimes present in work undertaken by researchers belonging to what one might label a dominant group of society.

For the sessions in 2022-23, we invite proposals for 20-25 minute presentations, as well as "work in progress" sessions (brief and informal presentation of a research or translation project in progress, with discussion questions) or workshops in line with the issues outlined above, and in particular in relation to the following themes:

• retranslation and self-translation of texts featuring minority voices

• various ways of approaching collaboration in translation (co-translations, sensitivity readers, reading groups, etc.)

• the reception of translated texts featuring minority voices, in particular in terms of dissemination among the groups represented

• the role of activism in translation and research projects involving minority voices 

Dates TBC (Thursdays, online, from 5-7.30pm)! November, January, February, March, April, June

Proposals (a few sentences outlining the ideas you would like to address, format, links to our themes, preferences for the date) should be sent by September 15 to traduireminorites.tract@gmail.com.