Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Emma Dussouchaud-Esclamadon and Elisabeth Goemans

Abstracts

For an understanding of the representational dynamics of Indigenous languages in feature fiction films, in a globalised cinematographic landscape

by Emma Dussouchaud-Esclamadon

While Indigenous people have been represented in cinema since its beginnings, notably in documentaries and ethnographic movies, and sometimes became representative characters in certain genres such as the western, their very representation has most often been in the hands of hegemonic cultures and systems, stripping them of agency on the matter. Moreover, their representation in films is no guarantee that Indigenous languages will also be featured.

In the age of digital globalisation, the extinction rate of minority languages all over the world is more alarming than ever, exacerbated by the fact that many Indigenous languages do not have a standardised writing system and rely on oral tradition to survive. Despite the fact that there is a growing literature studying specific Indigenous communities and their relations to the media, there seems to be little broader consideration of shared dynamics between different communities, and the importance of audiovisual media as both a representation and preservation tool needs to be questioned.

I thus aim for my work to highlight the diversity of Indigenous languages through their representation in feature fiction films, as well as acknowledge how this very representation can illustrate the challenges faced by Indigenous communities to influence film production for and about them. Throughout this talk, I will consider and question the role of studied films in Indigenous languages preservation and revitalisation.

The transnational resonance of non-fiction novels: strategies for translating feminicide. The case of Chicas muertas (2014) and Dead Girls (2020)

by Elisabeth Goemans

Chicas muertas (2014) by the Argentinian author Selva Almada is a non-fiction text about three feminicides that took place in the 1980s. Often referred to as a non-fiction novel, journalistic novel or testimonial literature, Chicas muertas has been marketed as a literary text. The text is an example of realismo brutal [brutal realism], a style often employed in anti-feminicide narratives where the social denouncement has priority over any other literary aspect (María Alonso Alonso 2016).

Annie McDermott, the translator of the English version entitled Dead Girls (2020), is therefore put in a quandary: the question of style translation is no less pertinent than when she translates fiction, given Chicas muertas’ literary value. However, the actual style requires McDermott to prioritise the social over the literary. Moreover, the thematics of the text call for an awareness of the translator’s ethical role. 

In this talk, I argue that the brutal realism in Chicas muertas influences the translation strategies in the English translation, which can be examined combining several methods from Translation Studies, literary studies, systemic-functional linguistics and sociology of translation. Through a comparative translation analysis, I will demonstrate how Antoine Berman’s tendances déformantes (1999) and Wolfram Wilss’ framework of translation as a decision-making process (1994) shed light on the effect of the translation strategies on the target text and the Anglophone readership.  

About the speakers

Emma Dussouchaud-Esclamadon is currently a first year PhD candidate in Film Studies, funded by the Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarship. She previously studied at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University (Paris, France) where she graduated from a MRes and BA in Cinematographic and Audiovisual Studies. She completed her first year of Master’s study at the Sogang University of Seoul, South-Korea.

Elisabeth Goemans obtained her BA in Linguistics and Literature (English-Spanish), MA in Western Literature and MA in Literary Translation at the University of Leuven. She is currently a second-year PhD student in Hispanic studies at the University of Edinburgh, focusing on Argentinian literature by feminist authors like Selva Almada, Mariana Enríquez, and Dolores Reyes as well as their works in English translation. Her research interests include Descriptive Translation Studies, literary translation studies, Latin American literature, and the representation of violence, feminism, and masculinities in literature and translation.

About the seminar series

Each semester, we welcome a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a seminar on their work in translation.

Our seminar series is run collaboratively by staff and postgraduate students, enabling our early career researchers to build networks and gain experience. This semester, the students are Katherine Heller and Aaliyah Charbenny.

Entry is free and no booking is required. Everyone is welcome.

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