Some coordinates for mapping a literary translation activism

Abstract

Translation and activism have been closely linked in the scholarly discourse. It is hard to parse out, however, the goals and contours of a specifically literary translation activism (LTA), particularly as it may intersect with literary activism, literary advocacy, and other forms of praxis. What constitutes an act of literary translation activism? And what forms are literary translation activism taking, and how does a text become activist? The answers have implications for literary translators’ self-concept, agency, and identity construction as well as the ethics involved. LTA is manifested in prizegiving, framing, choice of language, adapting, choosing texts (or even refusing translation), translation strategy, memorializing, heightening status, ‘reinventing’ literary affiliation, and changemaking or awareness-raising for extraliterary causes. After taking stock of some of literary translation activism’s forms and even caveats, I draw some paths for a pedagogy of LTA, which can play a constitutive role in drawing the field’s boundaries.