Book circulation through translation in a multilingual state: the case of Belgium
(2025) Journal of Foreign Languages and Cultures — Vol. 9, n° 1, p. 107-119 (2025)
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- Abstract
- This paper examines intra-national translation flows in Belgium over a 50- year period (1970–2020), focusing on how books circulate between two of the country’s official languages, Dutch and French, within a plurilingual literary space. By applying a “Big Translation History” approach, the study reveals the influence of language status, location, genre, actor roles, and publishing practices on translation dynamics. Notably, Belgian publishers control a significant portion of the market for comics and children’s literature, demonstrating a distinct national production culture for these genres, whereas a prestigious genre like the novel is to a large extent in the hands of dominant neighboring states that share the same language (France and the Netherlands). The paper nuances the traditional center-periphery model in Translation Studies and suggests that intra-national translation flows are influenced not only by global language hierarchies but also by other factors such as genre and publishing location, providing a richer understanding of cultural exchange in multilingual states.
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Brems, E., Meylaerts, R., & Vanasten, S. (2025). Book circulation through translation in a multilingual state: the case of Belgium. Journal of Foreign Languages and Cultures, 9(1), 107-119. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/275202 (Original work published 2025)