In this workshop we will think about what “feminist translation” is, and why it matters. We will start by considering how (and why) we might take a feminist approach both in the choices we make about which books to translate and in the choices we make while translating. Then we’ll put this into practice by working together on a translation of a poem from French, exploring creative responses and developing our feminist translation practice. A literal translation of the poem will be provided so that non-French speakers can also participate in the creative exercise.
Helen Vassallo is a British Maltese translator and Associate Professor of French and Translation at the University of Exeter (UK). Her recent and forthcoming translations include work by Leïla Slimani, Darina Al Joundi, Margarita García Robayo and Renée Vivien. She is the author of Towards a Feminist Translator Studies: Intersectional Activism in Translation and Publishing, co-author of Getting Started as a Literary Translator: Translated Literature and Publishing, and Translations Editor of the journal Feminist Translation Studies.
