Workshop October 2024: Translators’ [In]Visibilities

On October 31st and November 1st, 2024, the Translators’ [In]Visibilities Workshop - Part II brought together scholars from around the world to continue exploring the visibility and invisibility of translators across history and cultures. Building on discussions from the February 2022 session, this two-day event, organized by the Translation Studies Working Group in the Calgary Institute for the Humanities, delved into the cultural, historical, and literary dynamics that shape the translator's role. The workshop explored diverse topics, from medieval translations’ impact on community identity to the Romantic era's tendency to obscure the translator's role in favor of elevating the author. Presentations also addressed the complex visibility of translators in 17th and 18th-century works, including case studies from Renaissance Siena, early modern England, and the Low Countries. A central theme emerged: the tension between the translator’s authority and visibility, and the significant impact this has on the texts they translate.

Notable speakers included:

• Michelle Bolduc (University of Exeter) discussed how medieval translators of Cicero’s De Inventione shaped political and rhetorical communities.

• Rachel Friedman (University of Calgary) explored how Islamic and Jewish exegetical practices embraced polyvocality, allowing multiple interpretations of sacred texts.

• Brecht de Groote (University of Ghent) analyzed how 19th-century translators obscured their role to elevate the original author.

• Beatrijs Vanacker (KULeuven) examined how 17th and 18th-century translators in the Southern Low Countries performed their roles in complex cultural hierarchies.

• Eleonora Buonocore (University of Calgary) explored the invisible role of translators in Renaissance Siena through adaptations of Plautus' La Floria.

• Alisa van de Haar (Leiden University) focused on migrant translators in 16th-century England, showing how they asserted authority despite marginalization.

• Noreen Humble (University of Calgary) analyzed how the depiction of translators on 16th-century title pages revealed the historical and economic forces influencing their visibility.

Through rich discussions and case studies, the workshop illustrated that the role of the translator is complex, multifaceted, and shaped by cultural, political, and economic contexts. The conversations highlighted the importance of continued research in translation studies, particularly in understanding the power dynamics at play in translating and interpreting texts.