In her presentation at The Language Show in November 2024, CIOL Council Member Dr Mariam Aboelezz of the University of Liverpool explored how translators can contribute to more inclusive and equitable cultural heritage practices.

CIOL Chief Executive, John Worne writes: listening to Mariam’s talk at The Language Show brought home some key insights for me on how we achieve more inclusive translation. These included:

Recognising that translators mediate cultural heritage

Translators do not simply convert words from one language to another – translators actively mediate cultural heritage. Translators make crucial decisions about how artifacts, documents, and histories are presented to different audiences and this role comes with significant responsibility.

Active respect for cultures is key

Mariam set out four essential principles which guide inclusive translation:

• Cultural Awareness
• Cultural Sensitivity
• Cultural Competence
• Cultural Humility

And each of them has practical implications for the daily work of translators.

The TRRAPS framework can help

When working on a cultural heritage text, we need to consider:

• Terms: What words are we choosing and why?
• Role: What voices are we adopting?
• Register: Is our language appropriate and accessible?
• Assumptions: What biases might we be bringing to the text?
• Position: What ideological stance are we taking?
• Structure: How does our sentence structure affect meaning?

Mariam’s TRRAPS is a practical framework for inclusive translation which helps us to interrogate our biases and influences.

Neutrality is neither possible nor desirable

Mariam made a compelling case that no one is value-neutral. It is more reasonable, and certainly more professional, to confront and declare your own ideological positions than to claim neutrality. Further, ‘Neutrality’ should not be an excuse for passivity in the face of challenging or disturbing material.

If it is impossible for a translator to be neutral, we can however try to be objective. Being objective allows us to act on available evidence and assume ethical positions on issues of structural inequality - racism, sexism, etc. and also to confront historical wrongs and worldviews with greater clarity.

Looking Forward

Inclusive translation in the cultural and heritage sector is an ongoing dialogue between the present and the past, and Mariam invited us all to join that conversation.

If you are interested in learning more about inclusive translation in cultural heritage, Mariam recommends the following resources:

• The Archives and Records Association of the UK and Ireland Code of Ethics,
• Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia’s Anti-Racist Description Resources,
• The Collection Trust’s Decolonising the Database,
• The Cultural Heritage Terminology Network’s wide ranging resources,
• The National Museum for World Cultures’ Words Matter.

As Mariam said in her summary:

“This is an evolving field, and we all have a role to play in shaping how cultural heritage is preserved and shared across languages and cultures. As translators, we have the unique opportunity to contribute to more inclusive and equitable cultural heritage practices.”

Dr Mariam Aboelezz is a CIOL Council Member and a lecturer at the University of Liverpool specialising in translation and cultural heritage. You can follow Mariam on X @MariamAboelezz or via email at m.aboelezz@liverpool.ac.uk

This blog post is based on Mariam's presentation at the 'CIOL at The Language Show' conference stream on November 8, 2024 which is available online 'on demand' here