Antipodean Translation and the Geopolitics of World Literature

Abstract

Drawing inspiration from the diverse landscapes of Southeast Asia, the seminar introduces the concept of ‘antipodean translation’ to describe the non-linear, border-reversing, and fragmented translation practices that significantly contribute to the emergence of world literature in this region. 

Southeast Asia has often been perceived as ‘unrewarded’ and lacking a ‘transnational aura’ (Anderson 2013), with literary translation historically characterised by a predominantly one-way flow—importing rather than exporting literature. However, by reexamining the dynamics of world literature in Thailand, the seminar explores how antipodean translation navigates the complex linguistic geopolitics that shape Thai literary writings. 

This discussion is supported by examples of translation involving dialects, the use of translation as a cinematic trope, and experimental literary translations employing ‘invented’ languages.

Speaker

Professor Phrae Chittiphalangsri (email) is an Associate Professor of Translation Studies at the Center for Chulalongkorn Translation and Interpretation (CCTI), Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. She serves as Co-Vice President of the International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS) and is a member of the editorial board for New Voices in Translation Studies. 

Her research and publications focus on translation history, postcolonial criticism, and literary translation. Her most recent work, Of Peninsulas and Archipelagos: The Landscape of Translation in Southeast Asia (2024), is co-edited with Vicente Rafael.

Speaker image: Phrae Chittiphalangsri

Header image: Visax (Unsplash)