Babel - Volume 72, Issue 2, 2026

Abstract

In early 2021, the Dutch publisher Meulenhoff was criticized for assigning the translation of black American poet Amanda Gorman’s poem to a white author, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld. Gorman had recited her poem “The Hill We Climb” on 20 January 2021 at the inauguration ceremony of U.S. President Joe Biden. Following the controversy, Rijneveld decided to decline her translation job, and the Dutch publisher replaced her with a black translator. This change subsequently angered many translators who openly challenged the Dutch publisher’s decision, asserting that translators can and should have the right to translate anything, regardless of whether or not they share the same characteristics and identities as their authors — or what is defined as “positionality.” This article explores the question of positionality in literary translation using some concrete examples and interviews with international authors such as Edouard Louis and Annie Ernaux, reflecting on the influence of both experience and knowledge.

Abstract

This paper aimed to investigate how footnotes and cultural memory references (CMRs) influence empathic evocation through a questionnaire-based study. To assess the impact, Chinese translations of two English stories by Singaporean writer Alfian Sa’at, namely “Shallow Focus” and “Reunion,” were selected as research materials, and Taiwanese adults were considered the target participants. A recruitment effort that included email distribution and social media advertising resulted in a total of 85 participants, who were randomly assigned to three groups to read three translation versions: translation with footnotes (Group 1), translation with lead-ins on cultural memory (Group 2), and translation with both footnotes and lead-ins on cultural memory (Group 3). A questionnaire was designed based on existing studies to measure the participants’ empathic responses. The results showed that both footnotes and CMRs could promote empathic evocation, with the highest reaction observed in Group 3. Additionally, CMRs could generate greater empathic evocation, possibly because they helped target readers feel a stronger sense of involvement in the stories.

Abstract

“Labor” is a subject matter of Xu Bing’s art installation Phoenix and its reincarnation in the ekphrastic poem by Ouyang Jianghe, a concept that has rarely been foregrounded in its own right in Translation Studies, and an indispensable element of the coinage of “translaboration” blending translation and collaboration. With a focus on the subjective and collective nature of translational labor, this study examines Phoenix as a translaborative enterprise encompassing diverse forms of translation and collaboration. It analyzes Ouyang’s poetic creation as the poet’s intersemiotic translaboration with different disciplinary realms, followed by a discussion of Austin Woerner’s English translation of the poem as a more multifaceted interlingual translaboration where various human and nonhuman actors are engaged. The creators not only utilize their subjectivities in their own translational labor but are also further involved in the collective labor of (re)producing their works. The findings illustrate that translation, collaboration and translaboration can be effectively considered through the lens of labor, both empirically and conceptually.

Abstract

This study investigates how English health and illness metaphors are translated into Arabic, using examples from the BBC, Project Syndicate, and the Financial Times within the context of economic discourse. Applying cognitive metaphor theory, it examines metaphorical expressions related to health and illness in financial texts, exploring how these metaphors shape economic ideas and assessing the effectiveness of their Arabic translations. The research highlights the crucial role of health and illness metaphors in expressing complex economic conditions and their importance in both English and Arabic economic discussions. The results show that while literal translations often preserve the metaphorical meaning, some translators choose non-metaphorical equivalents, which can alter the metaphor’s impact and diminish clarity. The findings also emphasize the need for cognitive equivalence in metaphor translation and support approaches that improve mutual understanding of economic phenomena across languages, ensuring the original meaning of the metaphors is maintained. The study concludes that successful translation of these metaphors depends on understanding their cognitive functions and the genre’s context; strategies should aim to preserve the conceptual core of metaphors to facilitate clear communication with both expert and general audiences.

Résumé

La traduction bénévole peut être effectuée à des fins et orientations différentes autre que son objectif essentiel. Cette étude vise à révéler le regard des ONG et des traducteurs turcs sur la traduction bénévole, tout en attirant l’attention sur le but essentiel du bénévolat ainsi que sur une sensibilisation à ce sujet. Dans ce contexte, les discours des ONG turques sur leurs sites web et ceux des traducteurs turcs sur le site Proz.com à propos de la traduction bénévole sont analysés dans le cadre de l’analyse critique du discours. Les résultats de l’analyse révèlent que la majorité des ONG turques considèrent la traduction bénévole comme une activité qui peut être exercée par toute personne connaissant les langues étrangères. Cette approche des organisations conduit à un questionnement sur la qualité des traductions. En ce qui concerne les discours des traducteurs turcs, ils révèlent que la traduction bénévole est majoritairement effectuée dans le but d’acquérir de l’expérience et de présenter des références professionnelles. Cette approche des traducteurs conduit à un questionnement sur l’objectif essentiel de la traduction bénévole. Les résultats démontrent qu’une sensibilisation à ce sujet est nécessaire pour que la traduction bénévole soit effectuée conformément à son objectif essentiel.

This article reviews The Challenge of Subtitling Offensive and Taboo Language into Spanish: A Theoretical and Practical Guide

This article reviews Transpatial Modernity: Chinese Cultural Encounters with Russia Via Japan (1880–1930)