The Transnational Turn in Feminist Translation Theory and Practice with Olga Castro

This research seminar took place online on Wednesday 22 October 2025 Across a wide range of global contexts, feminist translation has experienced unprecedented growth as an emancipatory practice embraced by translation practitioners and feminist activists alike. These practices draw on (and crucially, contribute to) a rich and ever-expanding body of scholarship connecting gender, intersectionality and translation, which sits within the broader field of feminist translation studies. It is fair to say that this field occupies a distinctive position at the crossroads of two relatively young but dynamic academic disciplines: translation studies and feminist studies. Yet, as Olga argues in this talk, dialogue between these two disciplines is not necessarily as productive as it could be, therefore limiting the conceptual and practical scope of the field. Drawing on anecdotal evidence gathered over the past few years, she suggests that some of the major challenges facing the field of feminist translation studies, and feminist translation practice in particular, may stem from a lack of sustained interdisciplinary collaboration. To address this, she offers some reflections on possible ways forward, towards a more productive framework that fosters mutually enriching encounters between feminist-oriented translation studies and translation-oriented feminist studies. Ultimately, she hopes to demonstrate not only the analytical potential that translation brings to feminist research, but also the fresh perspectives that (transnational) feminisms can bring to translation theory and practice.