French Literature Reviews - 2026

Tiphaine Samoyault, Translation and Violence
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics

At a time when computer-aided translation is poised to trigger a major shift in our communication methods and our relationship with languages, this essay seeks to rethink the concept of translation. Moving beyond praise or consensus requires us to stop viewing translation solely as a space for harmonious cultural encounters, and instead understand it as an ambiguous, complex, and at times negative operation.

Tiphaine Samoyault examines the histories of violence in which translation has played a part (colonial domination, extermination camps, apartheid societies, totalitarian regimes), alongside literary cases that illustrate the violence inherent to the act of translating. Yet because translation is also concerned with justice and accuracy, the unpredictability of encounters, and transformations across space and time, the division it creates can be reversed to redress the violence committed.

Beyond the subject of translation itself, this book is aimed at anyone interested in dialogue between cultures, literatures, and languages, as well as the political possibility of building shared worlds.

Read the introduction to the book on Fabula…

View the book on the publisher's website…

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The modern landscape of cross-lingual communication increasingly relies on technological mediation, prompting renewed critical reflection on the nature of linguistic transfer. Within translation studies and comparative literature, scholarly inquiry often emphasizes bridge-building and intercultural harmony. However, the broader tradition of translation theory also encompasses the critical examination of asymmetry, power dynamics, and the ideological forces shaping textual circulation across linguistic borders.

Tiphaine Samoyault examines historical instances of violence involving translation, including colonial domination, extermination camps, apartheid societies, and totalitarian regimes, alongside literary cases illustrating the violence inherent to the act of translating. At the same time, the text considers how translation is concerned with justice, accuracy, and the unpredictability of encounters, exploring how the divisions it creates might be reversed to redress past harms. Readers interested in cultural dialogue, literary exchange, and the political dimensions of language may find these reflections relevant.

You can read an article by Christine Marcandier on this book at Diakritik.com…