Original version

BBC World Service Online

The Conversation

Factual: Life Stories

Two women from different parts of the world share the stories of their lives

Two women from different parts of the world, united by a common passion, experience or expertise, share the stories of their lives.

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

The Conversation: Women in Translation

Magazines & Reviews

Translators Hala Kamal and Emily Wilson

Women in Translation

BBC World Service - The Conversation, Women in Translation

Two women who translate Ancient Greek classics and modern-day feminist theory

Kim Chakanetsa brings together the first woman to translate Homer's The Odyssey into English and an Egyptian academic who considers her translating as a form of feminist activism.

Can translating a book be a feminist act?  Kim Chakanetsa brings together two female translators from Egypt and the UK who explain why it matters that more women, and particularly more feminists, are translating texts into Arabic and English.

Emily Wilson is the first woman to translate Homer's The Odyssey into English. She says she often found sexist language in previous translations by men which did not actually exist in the original ancient Greek. She believes that all translators have an agenda, but calling a translation feminist can marginalise it. Emily is currently Professor of Classics at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Hala Kamal is a Professor of English and Gender Studies at Cairo University. She teaches on the topic of 'feminist translation' and translates classic feminist texts into Arabic so that students who cannot speak English can still access feminist theory. She thinks feminist voices have been lost and neglected, so she considers translating feminist writers as a form of activism.

(L) Hala Kamal (credit: Sharif Sidahmed)
(R) Emily Wilson (credit: Kyle Cassidy)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Conversation

Women in Translation

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service