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peachiepeachie's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Very interesting look at the colonial and cultural elements at play when translating.
morebedsidebooks's review
4.0
Violent Phenomena: 21 essays on Translation is an anthology of writing by 24 contributors featuring a breadth of personal experience with culture, language, translation, publishing, and grappling with colonial and imperial legacies. As the introduction puts it ‘Above all this book is a challenge to inherited assumptions about translators and translations being neutral, making the case that every aspect of translation is political.’
If one has an interest in translation and decolonisation pick up this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Racism
Minor: Islamophobia, Ableism, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Genocide
Also includes references to terrorism.lillianglippold's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
honestly, beyond some structural issues with the general makeup of this collection, i was really struck by the majority of these essays. at times, i wished for more specificity beyond similar general statements regarding the philosophy and ethical framing of translation. of course, these ethics are the throughline of this text, but more textual close reading in the earlier half of the collection would’ve helped me distinguish some of those theses from each other. once we hit halfway, everything was deeply critical, well edited, attentive to the tightness of its syntax, and fucking brilliant. i learned. and i got fired up.
all this to say, definitely recommend.
cassandrahpenny's review
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
As a white European translator, I felt really challenged and educated by these essays! I learnt so much about the different forms translation can take, the paths different translators have to translation, the importance for intersectionality specifically within translation, and gained an appreciation for languages and cultures outside my own sphere. I'd recommend this to any student or academic of literature/languages, or anyone looking to learn about the Eurocentrism of translation and/or how translation functions across cultures.