METM26 presentation

Gender-inclusive strategies for literary translation

Tia Nutters, Zuidlaren, Netherlands

This presentation offers practical strategies for translators who want to work more consciously with gender in literary texts. Drawing on my recent publication in a Dutch translation studies journal, I will show how translation choices can either reinforce or challenge gender stereotypes – and how professionals can actively contribute to more gender-inclusive language use.

Some strategies respond to structural features of language, such as grammatical gender, where masculine forms are often treated as the default, e.g. Spanish los alumnos for mixed groups, or German der Arzt as a generic doctor. Other strategies operate at the meaning level, for instance in response to the use of stereotypical adjectives (‘sweet’ vs ‘tough’) or gender-marked terms like ‘fireman’, which subtly shape how characters are perceived.

At the syntax level, translators can also make impactful decisions. By adjusting the ‘camera angle’ of a sentence, shifting perspective, or reconsidering the use of possessive pronouns, professionals can reshape how agency and relationships are expressed. As language continues to evolve towards greater inclusivity, translators are in a unique position to lead and experiment with new forms.

I will illustrate these strategies using examples from three recent literary works translated into Dutch, in which gender plays a central role: Becoming Eve (2019) by Abby Chava Stein, translated as Eigenlijk Eva (2022) by Lette Vos; So Late in the Day (2023) by Claire Keegan, translated as Op het allerlaatste moment (2024) by Harm Damsma and Niek Miedema; and Girl, Woman, Other (2019) by Bernardine Evaristo, translated as Meisje, vrouw, anders (2020) by Lette Vos. While the focus is on English–Dutch translation, the strategies are transferable to other language contexts.

The session will conclude with a short interactive segment in which I will invite participants to share their own examples and approaches, thus helping to expand a shared, practice-based toolkit for gender-inclusive translation.

About the presenter

Tia Nutters is part-time translation researcher and works as grants adviser and grant proposal editor at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. She is also a member of the Advisory Board to the Dutch Foundation for Literature, which assesses literary translation grant applications.