Special issue CfP
CfP for journal special issue on: Untranslatability and non-translation in the Japanese context
As Glynn and Hadley (2021, p. 20) point out, "the topic of 'translatability' has been discussed since long before translation studies emerged as a field of research in its own right". However, the topic has received increased attention in recent years following the publication of a number of important scholarly works e.g. Apter (2013), Cassin (2014). With the advent of AI, translation now seems more accessible than ever. However, there is still much that cannot be/is not translated in the translation process (whether this is powered by AI or humans). Translation often involves disambiguation, where the multiple facets of an expression may be reduced to one particular interpretation in the target text. By choosing certain interpretations, translators naturally leave certain other aspects untranslated. In other cases, certain pieces of information may be left out for ideological reasons, or simply because they are deemed not important for the target audience. Whatever the motivation, examining what is not translated can lead to fresh insights into both the source and target cultures and languages.
We invite contributions that deal with what is not translated in the broad Japanese context e.g. JP-EN, EN-JP, intralingual within Japanese, or between genres. Please note that we are currently in the very early stages of organising this research collaboration so actual publication will likely not occur until 2029 or later. Please send us a short abstract of about 200 words and a brief indication of when your paper might be ready for submission to a journal.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 January 2026
Editing authors: Dr Tamaki Mihic (University of Sydney), Prof. Martin Ward (University of Leeds)
Please send your 200 word abstract and indication of earliest submission to: