From local histories to transcultural mnemonic landscapes : a conversation about translation and memory
- Author
- Anneleen Spiessens (UGent) and Eneken Laanes
- Organization
- Abstract
- This chapter is structured as a dialogue between two scholars from different disciplines, each exploring the potential of concepts and methods from translation studies to shed light on the formation, circulation and reception of transnational memories, while also considering how insights from memory studies can highlight the multidirectional engagements and local embedding of memories originating from diverse contexts in cultural practices of translation. The interdisciplinary exchange prompts reflection on the specific formats and mechanisms through which memories 'travel' via translation across geographical, cultural and linguistic boundaries, as well as their subsequent 'instantiation' in particular locales, where they are reshaped through interactions with local repertoires, audiences, and agendas. Our focus is on how translation-as-transformation acts as a driving force behind the evolution and preservation of memory. This entails engaging with the ethical implications of translating local histories and narratives for global consumption. Through an analysis of various media forms—including testimony, literature, film, and museums—we examine how the dynamic interplay between interlingual and cultural translation unlocks the mnemonic potential of a given text or narrative. Approaching memory through a translational lens ultimately compels us to challenge conventional notions of authenticity, native language and stable originals, and to question the presumed unidirectionality of transfer processes.
- Keywords
- translation studies, transcultural memorial forms, translation ethics, multilingualism, travelling memory, multidirectional memory, omnidirectional translation, testimony, translator agency, literary translation, museum translation
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01JYGZKF6P2TJ6DBC00HP9C789
- MLA
- Spiessens, Anneleen, and Eneken Laanes. “From Local Histories to Transcultural Mnemonic Landscapes : A Conversation about Translation and Memory.” Border Crossings : Translation Studies and Other Disciplines, edited by Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer, John Benjamins, 2026.
- APA
- Spiessens, A., & Laanes, E. (2026). From local histories to transcultural mnemonic landscapes : a conversation about translation and memory. In Y. Gambier & L. van Doorslaer (Eds.), Border crossings : translation studies and other disciplines. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
- Chicago author-date
- Spiessens, Anneleen, and Eneken Laanes. 2026. “From Local Histories to Transcultural Mnemonic Landscapes : A Conversation about Translation and Memory.” In Border Crossings : Translation Studies and Other Disciplines, edited by Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Spiessens, Anneleen, and Eneken Laanes. 2026. “From Local Histories to Transcultural Mnemonic Landscapes : A Conversation about Translation and Memory.” In Border Crossings : Translation Studies and Other Disciplines, ed by. Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
- Vancouver
- 1.Spiessens A, Laanes E. From local histories to transcultural mnemonic landscapes : a conversation about translation and memory. In: Gambier Y, van Doorslaer L, editors. Border crossings : translation studies and other disciplines. Amsterdam: John Benjamins; 2026.
- IEEE
- [1]A. Spiessens and E. Laanes, “From local histories to transcultural mnemonic landscapes : a conversation about translation and memory,” in Border crossings : translation studies and other disciplines, Y. Gambier and L. van Doorslaer, Eds. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2026.
@incollection{01JYGZKF6P2TJ6DBC00HP9C789,
abstract = {{This chapter is structured as a dialogue between two scholars from different disciplines, each exploring the potential of concepts and methods from translation studies to shed light on the formation, circulation and reception of transnational memories, while also considering how insights from memory studies can highlight the multidirectional engagements and local embedding of memories originating from diverse contexts in cultural practices of translation. The interdisciplinary exchange prompts reflection on the specific formats and mechanisms through which memories 'travel' via translation across geographical, cultural and linguistic boundaries, as well as their subsequent 'instantiation' in particular locales, where they are reshaped through interactions with local repertoires, audiences, and agendas.
Our focus is on how translation-as-transformation acts as a driving force behind the evolution and preservation of memory. This entails engaging with the ethical implications of translating local histories and narratives for global consumption. Through an analysis of various media forms—including testimony, literature, film, and museums—we examine how the dynamic interplay between interlingual and cultural translation unlocks the mnemonic potential of a given text or narrative. Approaching memory through a translational lens ultimately compels us to challenge conventional notions of authenticity, native language and stable originals, and to question the presumed unidirectionality of transfer processes.}},
author = {{Spiessens, Anneleen and Laanes, Eneken}},
booktitle = {{Border crossings : translation studies and other disciplines}},
editor = {{Gambier, Yves and van Doorslaer, Luc}},
keywords = {{translation studies,transcultural memorial forms,translation ethics,multilingualism,travelling memory,multidirectional memory,omnidirectional translation,testimony,translator agency,literary translation,museum translation}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{John Benjamins}},
title = {{From local histories to transcultural mnemonic landscapes : a conversation about translation and memory}},
year = {{2026}},
}