Putting more geo in Geography: tactics for better bridging language gaps in fieldwork, conferencing, and publishing

Keywords: translation, decolonize, solidarity, anglophone, privilege
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Colonial patterns continue to shape relations of knowledge production in Geography. The way the discipline is globalizing is deeply asymmetric and shaped by linguistic privilege. Like all privileges, linguistic privilege is often invisible to those who have it (Müller 2021). This often includes being haphazard about using language support, if it is used at all. Improving our use of both interpretation (oral) and translation (written) is a way to work against these dynamics, and can help to world and decolonize Geography. Anglophone hegemony can ironically be eroded with more and better translations into English, and more widespread and savvier use of two-way interpretation. English is the master’s tool, but if used cautiously and critically it can be used to dismantle the master’s house. We need stronger disciplinary norms for translation in journals and for interpretation in conferences and fieldwork and field courses. This is part of a broader shift needed towards worlding our reading and citation practices, which is fostered and supported by the Geography in the World country reports in Transactions. It is important that all of these efforts be understood as building a bigger messier us, rather than a homogenous us, or reinforcing us/them paradigms (Fall 2014). As geographers it is essential that we be more strategic in our use of translation and interpretation so that we can deepen and widen our connections, and weave more transformative and less colonial solidarities that have more power to build the other, more just, worlds that we dream of.