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Article published In:
Literary translatorship in digital contexts
Edited by Wenqian Zhang, Motoko Akashi and Peter Jonathan Freeth
[Translation in Society 3:1] 2024
► pp. 17–39

The translator as a social activist in the digital age

An autoethnographic study of translating Insulted. Belarus as part of the Worldwide Readings Project

ORCID logo | Palacký University Olomouc

This article presents a process-oriented, self-reflective study of my work translating a documentary play about anti-government protests in Belarus in 2020. It provides insights into the overlapping roles of translator, social activist and cultural mediator, and reflects on opportunities for collaboration in the digital sphere. Through an analysis of my own notes, interim versions of the translation, editorial revisions, correspondence and conversations with other participants, this article contributes to a deeper understanding of the various roles, stages and relationships found throughout the translation process, as well as the translator’s role in interacting with other stakeholders to express a unanimous protest against violence and oppression made possible by cooperation across borders in the digital sphere.

Keywords: translator as activist, activist translation, translator studies, autoethnography, collaborative translation, digital sphere, Belarusian play, Worldwide Readings Project
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Political background
  • 3. Insulted. Belarus(sia)
  • 4.Methodology
  • 5.An autoethnographic analysis: Translating Insulted. Belarus for the Worldwide Readings Project
    • 5.1A play for you?
    • 5.2The Worldwide Readings Project
    • 5.3Translation and decision-making as teamwork in the digital space
    • 5.4My role in the production, circulation and reception of the play in Czech
    • 5.5Online interactions with the Czech publisher
    • 5.6Interactions with other translators and international stakeholders
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 12 March 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tris.23012.pal
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