Why Creative Translation Matters

A recent flurry of publications has put the spotlight on the role of creativity and experimentation in the practice of literary translation (Malmkjær, 2019; Lee, 2022; Robinson, 2022; Grass, 2023; Lukes (ed.), 2023; Robert-Foley, 2024). Granted, creativity and experimentation are not new ideas or processes when it comes to theorizing and practicing literary translation—indeed, they are arguably at the heart of what translation is and does.
However, the clustering of these publications points to a sense of urgency in the field and a desire to explore the potential for experimental translation practices to challenge the norms and politics that underpin linguistic, literary, and cultural circulation. This seminar intends to
explore where this sense of urgency comes from, what forms it takes, and in what directions it might be moving.
On an immediate level, there is at play a concern about the rapid development of AI tools and translation software that are becoming increasingly sophisticated not only when it comes to producing what is perceived to be “basic translation”, as in, the transmission of information,
but also when it comes to their capacity to translate more complex textual forms. Turning to creative and experimental practices of translation could thus be seen as a way of safeguarding the value of linguistic difference which the machine tends to smooth over in the name of
monolingual accessibility. At the same time, creative experimentation with machine translation may open up avenues for exploring utilitarian assumptions about language and translation itself.
More broadly, concerns over the encroachment of AI and the concomitant fantasy of monolingualism are symptomatic of the fact that translations are inherently part of wider socio-economic, cultural, and political dynamics, and thereby subject to and expressive of
real and perceived challenges to these forces. Experimental and creative approaches to translation may become more urgent in this context as a way of rethinking individual and collective modes of relation: by highlighting the materiality of our different modes of engagement with texts, languages, and each other, they give value to the messiness of linguistic and socio-cultural interactions that shape us.
This seminar aims to explore both the conceptual reasons that underlie a push towards creativity and experimentation (hence the “why” in the title) and the material qualities of a creative and experimental approach to translating and reading (hence the focus on “matter”).
While we are looking to explore this urgency in relation to the current period, we are also interested in discussing why creative translation matters in different periods, to provide a point of comparison and historical grounding to our exploration. We welcome proposals that
engage with any aspect of creative and experimental translation, in terms of both content and form.

How to propose a paper:
(1) Go to the CfP for this seminar on the website of the ACLA:
https://www.acla.org/seminar/9471487c-034d-4060-8c99-fefecaea0252
(2) Click “propose a paper”
(3) Click “login” and either log in or create a new account
(4) Submit your paper proposal
Deadline for submissions is October 1, 2025.

You need not be a member of the ACLA to submit a paper proposal.
Please do not hesitate to contact seminar organizers Alexandra Lukes (lukesa@tcd.ie), Brigitte Rath (brigitte.rath@uibk.ac.at), and Delphine Grass (d.grass@lancaster.ac.uk) with any questions you might have regarding this seminar.