PAMLA 2023 Panel
Changing perspectives on migration through literature in translation
This is a panel at the PAMLA conference in the USA
Migration
has become a global phenomenon that indicates complexity and diversity.
The mobility of people has also influenced how texts are migrated
through translation and how it could influence cultural production.
Translation, which facilitates “communication, understanding, and action
between persons or groups who differ in language and culture” (Bassnett
5), plays a vital role in the migration diaspora. Texts like people,
want to seek new opportunities, they search for a new life in a new
place and time, as Moira Inghilleri points out in her book entitled
Translation and Migration published in 2017, migration is a “continuous
becoming”, it “necessitates movement” (1 & 3). Examining the
mobility of people and texts from a socio-cultural model through
translation is the aim of this proposed panel. The panel seeks to open
dialogue to discuss how identities and experiences are negotiated and
perspectives are shifted through literary representation.
This
panel welcomes researchers and speakers working on the intersection
between migration, translation, and various literary forms. Panelists
will discuss the intersection between migration, translation, and
various literary forms. Narrations on migration from an
interdisciplinary and diverse perspective are included in this panel
under the theme of 'Shifting Perspectives'. This panel would explore the
role of translated literature in supporting empathy, understanding,
making visibility and achieving agency through the lens of migration and
translation. Michael Cronin, a celebrated translation scholar,
describes the migrants as “translated beings” who move from one language
and culture to another (45). A migrant's response to the new linguistic
situation is either “translational assimilation, which means trying to
translate themselves into the predominant language” or “translational
accommodation”, which uses translation as a means to maintain their
native languages” (Cronin 47-48). Migrant-translated literature suggests
physical, linguistic, and cultural border-crossings that shape migrant
identities. The conceptualization of migration in the field of cultural
literacy includes the movement of texts, the international exchange of
knowledge, and cultural transformation through the lens of translation.
Ultimately, migration can be seen as translation. This special panel
will focus on how migrant literature translates into new cultural
territories and capture their norms. Suggested topics may include:
- Incorporating native cultures into the host culture.
- Cultural codes translated into linguistic codes by immigrants
-
In the context of ethnic translation as a function of communication in
and across the diaspora, literature serves both as a means of
communication and as a reflection of it.
- Translating migrant literature presents translation challenges, i.e. switching codes
This
panel invites researchers to examine migration in relation to
translation and literature in greater depth. Independent researchers and
academics are invited to submit an abstract (200-300 words) and a short
bio.
