Conference: Rethinking Identity in Translation

Dr. René Lemieux – Concordia University

This lecture explores the traditional boundaries of translation through four examples where the act of translating transcends mere linguistic transfer to become an act of creation, resistance, or cultural reinvention. Through four case studies—an Indigenous theatrical adaptation of Shakespeare, the ethnopoetic translation of Navajo songs, a musical cover as a temporal reinterpretation, and a transcontinental translation of an Inuit novel into Hindi—this lecture proposes rethinking translation as an act of identity negotiation rather than simple transfer. Far from being exceptions, these cases reveal something too often forgotten: translation can be a tool for exploring otherness. The lecture thus aims to broaden our understanding of what it means to translate.

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This talk challenges conventional boundaries of translation by examining four cases where translating transcends mere linguistic transfer to become an act of creation, resistance, or cultural reinvention. Through four case studies—a First Nations theatrical adaptation of Shakespeare, the ethnopoetic translation of Navajo songs, a musical cover as temporal reinterpretation, and the transcontinental Hindi translation of an Inuit novel—I reframe translation as an act of identity negotiation rather than a neutral transfer. Far from being exceptions, these examples reveal what is too often overlooked: translation can be a tool for exploring alterity. The talk thus invites us to expand our understanding of what it means to translate.