Translating politics, translation policies
Editors:
Kim Grego & Giovanni Iamartino
University of Milan
Background. This special issue of the journal Expressio (ISSN 2532-439X) intends to explore translation in its practical-operational aspect, seen from a political perspective. Indeed, whether it is considered a process or a product, interlinguistic translation has constantly taken the form, throughout history as in the present day, of an application or the result of choices. In the political sphere, such choices, on how to proceed in translating, have often symbolized religious, philosophical, ideological positions – collective or individual – giving rise to translation products of high linguistic, literary and cultural relevance.
Research questions and themes. How are / were texts of a political nature translated and why? What policies apply or have been applied to translation? How have other texts – historical, non-fiction, literary, etc. – been sometimes translated for political purposes? What connects politics and translation (e.g. with reference to writers, translators, editors, publishers etc.)? What examples, from a synchronic or a diachronic perspective, can be made and illustrated of this relationship? These are some of the questions that the special issue would like scholars to undertake and address. We therefore invite you to submit paper proposals in this sense, from a contemporary or a historical point of view, about different countries and cultures, from various methodological perspectives and in Italian or English.
Details and timeline. Proposals can be sent to the corresponding editor at kim.grego@unimi.it, in the form of abstracts of 150-250 words, excluding references, by 31 January 2023. Acceptance will be communicated by 7 February 2023. Contributions – 5,000 to 6,500 words maximum, including references, a 200-word abstract and 5 keywords – are expected no later than 31 March 2023. The publication of the articles, subjected to double blind peer review, is scheduled for the summer of 2023.