1887
Volume 32, Issue 2
  • ISSN 0924-1884
  • E-ISSN: 1569-9986
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

This article introduces the concept of ‘photo-translation’ for studying documentary photography as a collaborative practice of visual translation. The visual-translational approach to photo documentation is applied in a novel way to the emerging field of contemporary migration photography, thus relating recent theoretical connections between translation and migration studies to explorations in visual studies. The study discusses how participatory and collaborative practices are increasingly used in contemporary photo documentation to challenge, if not remove, the relational ‘othering’ effect inherent in the photo-documentary presentation of refugees, migrants and displaced peoples. The potential of translaboration as a mode of translational collaboration is explored through an in-depth analysis of two photo projects: (1) the participatory photo project (Gomez and Vannini 2015), conducted by social and information scientists Ricardo Gomez and Sara Vannini in cooperation with migrants at the US–Mexico border; and (2) the collaborative photo–graphic novel project (Migrant Image Research Group 2017), carried out by the Migrant Image Research Group under the guidance of Armin Linke. Demanding agency in visual translation proves to be essential for these participatory photo projects, since they aim to challenge dominant visual representations of how migration is narrated and represented in the media and academic discourse. For this reason, the investigation draws on new sociological approaches in Translation Studies in order to frame photo-translation as a social practice and as a form of (activist) engagement involving various agents and institutions.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/target.20088.mer
2020-07-07
2024-12-10
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Ahmed, Maroussia, Corinne Alexandre-Garner, Nicholas Serruys, Iulian Toma, and Isabelle Keller-Privat
    2015Migrations/Translations. Paris: Presses universitaires de Paris Ouest.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Alfer, Alexa
    2017 “Entering the Translab: Translation as Collaboration, Collaboration as Translation, and the Third Space of ‘Translaboration’.” In ‘Translaboration’: Translation as Collaboration, edited byAlexa Alfer, special issue ofTranslation and Translanguaging in Multicultural Contexts3 (3): 275–290. 10.1075/ttmc.3.3.01alf
    https://doi.org/10.1075/ttmc.3.3.01alf [Google Scholar]
  3. Angelelli, Claudia
    ed. 2014The Sociological Turn in Translation and Interpreting Studies. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Azoulay, Ariella
    2008The Civil Contract of Photography. Translated byRela Mazali and Ruvik Danieli. New York: Zone Books.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. 2012Civil Imagination: A Political Ontology of Photography. Translated byLouise Bethlehem. London: Verso.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Bachmann-Medick, Doris
    2012 “Translation – A Concept and Model for the Study of Culture.” InTravelling Concepts for the Study of Culture, edited byBirgit Neumann and Ansgar Nünning, 23–44. Berlin: De Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110227628.23
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110227628.23 [Google Scholar]
  7. 2016Cultural Turns: New Orientations in the Study of Culture. Berlin: De Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110402988
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110402988 [Google Scholar]
  8. 2018 “Migration as Translation.” InMigration: Changing Concepts, Critical Approaches, edited byDoris Bachmann-Medick and Jens Kugele, 273–293. Berlin: De Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110600483‑015
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110600483-015 [Google Scholar]
  9. Bal, Mieke
    2019 “Close Encounters: Producing Mutual ʻIntegration’.” InHandbook of Art and Global Migration: Theories, Practices, and Challenges, edited byBurcu Dogramaci and Birgit Mersmann, 79–101, Berlin: De Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110476675‑006
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110476675-006 [Google Scholar]
  10. Banks, Marcus, and David Zeitlyn
    eds. 2015Visual Methods in Social Research. 2nd ed.London: SAGE.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Bassnett, Susan, and André Lefevere
    eds. 1990Translation, History, and Culture. London: Printer Publishers.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Boehm, Gottfried
    1995 “Die Wiederkehr der Bilder.” InWas ist ein Bild?, edited byGottfried Boehm, 11–38. München: Wihelm Fink.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Buzelin, Hélène
    2011 “Agents of Translation.” InHandbook of Translation Studies, vol.2, edited byYves Gambier and Luc Van Doorslaer, 6–12. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/hts.2.age1
    https://doi.org/10.1075/hts.2.age1 [Google Scholar]
  14. Callon, Michel
    1984 “Some Elements of a Sociology of Translation: Domestication of the Scallops and the Fishermen of St Brieuc Bay.” The Sociological Review32 (1): 196–233. 10.1111/j.1467‑954X.1984.tb00113.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.1984.tb00113.x [Google Scholar]
  15. Calore, Elisa
    2017 “Migrant Image Research Group: An Image – A Statement.” AccessedAugust 28, 2018. 2017.biennalefotografie.de/en/edition/journal/fragen-an-die-migrant-image-research-group
  16. Cordingley, Anthony, and Céline Frigau Manning
    eds. 2017Collaborative Translation: From the Renaissance to the Digital Age. London: Bloomsbury.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Cronin, Michael
    2003Translation and Globalization. New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. 2006Translation and Identity. New York: Routledge. 10.4324/9780203015698
    https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203015698 [Google Scholar]
  19. Curtis, Neal
    2010The Pictorial Turn. New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Felski, Rita
    2016 “Comparison and Translation: A Perspective from Actor–Network Theory.” Comparative Literature Studies53 (4): 747–765. 10.5325/complitstudies.53.4.0747
    https://doi.org/10.5325/complitstudies.53.4.0747 [Google Scholar]
  21. Fernández-Ocampo, Anox, and Michaela Wolf
    eds. 2014Framing the Interpreter: Towards a Visual Perspective. London: Routledge. 10.4324/9781315746418
    https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315746418 [Google Scholar]
  22. Gomez, Ricardo, and Sara Vannini
    2015Fotohistorias: Participatory Photography and the Experience of Migration. Washington: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Gomez, Ricardo, Ivette Bayo, Philip Reed, Cherry Wang, and M. Marisol Silva
    2013 “Fearless Cards: A Low-Tech Solution to Help Overcome Emotional Barriers to ICT Adoption Among Marginalized Populations.” EJISDC – Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries56 (1), 1–15. 10.1002/j.1681‑4835.2013.tb00397.x
    https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2013.tb00397.x [Google Scholar]
  24. Hekkanen, Raila
    2009 “Fields, Networks and Finnish Prose: A Comparison of Bourdieusian Field Theory and Actor–Network Theory in Translation Sociology.” InTranslation and the (Trans)formation of Identities: Selected Papers of the CETRA Research Seminar in Translation Studies 2008, edited byDries De Crom, 1–22. https://www.arts.kuleuven.be/cetra/papers/files/hekkanen.pdf
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Hermans, Theo
    1996 “The Translator’s Voice in Translated Narrative.” Target: International Journal of Translation Studies8 (1): 23–48. 10.1075/target.8.1.03her
    https://doi.org/10.1075/target.8.1.03her [Google Scholar]
  26. Inghilleri, Moira
    2017Translation and Migration. London: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Jakobson, Roman
    1959 “On Linguistic Aspects of Translation.” InOn Translation, edited byReuben A. Brower, 232–239. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 10.4159/harvard.9780674731615.c18
    https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674731615.c18 [Google Scholar]
  28. Jansen, Hanne, and Anna Wegener
    2013 “Multiple Translatorship.” InAuthorial and Editorial Voices in Translation 1: Collaborative Relationships between Authors, Translators and Performers, edited byHanne Jansen and Anne Wegener, 1–39. Montréal: Éditions québequois de l’œuvre.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Latour, Bruno
    1996 “On Actor–Network Theory: A Few Clarifications.” Soziale Welt47 (4): 369–381.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Maar, Christa, and Hubert Burda
    eds. 2004Iconic Turn: Die neue Macht der Bilder. Köln: DuMont.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Mersmann, Birgit
    2008 “(Fern-)Verkehr der Bilder: Mediologie als methodischer Brückenschlag zwischen Bild- und Übersetzungswissenschaft.” InMediologie als Methode, edited byThomas Weber and Birgit Mersmann, 149–168. Berlin: Avinus.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. 2014 “D/Rifts between Visual Culture and Image Culture: Relocations of the Transnational Study of the Visual.” InThe Trans/National Study of Culture: A Translational Perspective, edited byDoris Bachmann-Medick, 237–260. Berlin: De Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110333800.237
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110333800.237 [Google Scholar]
  33. Migrant Image Research Group
    Migrant Image Research Group 2017Lampedusa: Image Stories from the Edge of Europe. Leipzig: Spector Books.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Mitchell, W. J. T.
    1995Picture Theory: Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Palmer, Daniel
    2013 “A Collaborative Turn in Contemporary Photography?” photographies6 (1): 117–125. 10.1080/17540763.2013.788843
    https://doi.org/10.1080/17540763.2013.788843 [Google Scholar]
  36. Pink, Sarah
    2001Doing Visual Ethnography: Images, Media and Representation in Research. London: SAGE.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Polezzi, Loredana
    2012a “Translation and Migration.” Translation Studies5 (3): 345–356. 10.1080/14781700.2012.701943
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2012.701943 [Google Scholar]
  38. 2012b “Migration and Translation.” Handbook of Translation Studies, vol.3, edited byYves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer, 102–107. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/hts.3.mig1
    https://doi.org/10.1075/hts.3.mig1 [Google Scholar]
  39. Roberts, John
    2014Photography and its Violations. New York: Columbia University Press. 10.7312/robe16818
    https://doi.org/10.7312/robe16818 [Google Scholar]
  40. Shiga, John
    2007 “Translations: Artifacts from an Actor–Network Perspective.” Artifact1 (1): 40–55. 10.1080/17493460600658318
    https://doi.org/10.1080/17493460600658318 [Google Scholar]
  41. Spector Books
    Spector Books. n.d. “About.” AccessedDecember 12, 2018. spectorbooks.com/about
  42. Szörényi, Anna
    2006 “The Images Speak for Themselves? Reading Refugee Coffee-Table Books.” Visual Studies21 (1): 24–41. 10.1080/14725860600613188
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14725860600613188 [Google Scholar]
  43. Tymoczko, Maria
    2005 “Trajectories of Research in Translation Studies.” Meta50 (4): 1082–1097. 10.7202/012062ar
    https://doi.org/10.7202/012062ar [Google Scholar]
  44. Vorderobermeier, Gisella, and Michaela Wolf
    eds. 2008“Meine Sprache grenzt mich ab…”: Transkulturalität und kulturelle Übersetzung im Kontext von Migration. Münster: LIT.
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Wenzel, Jan
    2017 “‘Photography Is Quite Good. But Not Good Enough’: The Search for New Forms of Visual Display.” InLampedusa: Image Stories from the Edge of Europe, edited by theMigrant Image Research Group, 23–26. Leipzig: Spector Books.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Whittle, Andrea, and André Spicer
    2008 “Is Actor Network Theory Critique?” Organizational Studies29 (4): 611–629. 10.1177/0170840607082223
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840607082223 [Google Scholar]
  47. Wolf, Michaela, and Alexandra Fukari
    eds. 2007Constructing a Sociology of Translation. Amsterdam: Benjamins. 10.1075/btl.74
    https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.74 [Google Scholar]
  48. Wolf, Michaela
    2010 “Translation ‘Going Social’? Challenges to the (Ivory) Tower of Babel.” MonTI2: 29–46. 10.6035/MonTI.2010.2.2
    https://doi.org/10.6035/MonTI.2010.2.2 [Google Scholar]
  49. Vannini, Sara, Ricardo Gomez, and Veronica Guajardo
    2016 “Security and Activism: Using Participatory Photography to Elicit Perceptions of Information and Authority among Hispanic Migrants in the U.S.” iConference 2016 Proceedings, https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/89319/Vannini279.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
  50. Yefimova, Katja, Moriah Neils, Bryce Clayton Newell, and Ricardo Gomez
    2015 “Fotohistorias: Participatory Photography as a Methodology to Elicit the Life Experiences of Migrants.” InProceedings of the 48th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 3672–3681. https://www.computer.org/csdl/proceedings/hicss/2015/7367/00/7367d672.pdf
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Zwischenberger, Cornelia
    2017 “Translation as a Metaphoric Traveller across Disciplines. Wanted: Translaboration!” In‘Translaboration’: Translation as Collaboration, edited byAlexa Alfer, special issue ofTranslation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts3 (3): 388–406. 10.1075/ttmc.3.3.07zwi
    https://doi.org/10.1075/ttmc.3.3.07zwi [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/target.20088.mer
Loading
/content/journals/10.1075/target.20088.mer
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error