IUE Department of English Translation and Interpreting hosted Asst. Prof. Jasmin E. Duraner in the webinar titled "Reframing Translation: Gender, Language and Feminist Practices"

İzmir University of Economics, Department of English Translation and Interpreting, hosted a webinar titled “Reframing Translation: Gender, Language, and Feminist Practices” on Thursday, December 26. The event, held on Zoom, featured Asst. Prof. Jasmin Esin Duraner from Dokuz Eylül University as the guest speaker.

The webinar opened with a speech by the Head of the Department, Prof. Dr. Nihal Yetkin Karakoç. Following this, Duraner began her presentation by discussing how sexism and stereotypes supported by patriarchal structures shape societal norms. She emphasized that these biases humiliate women and prevent them from reaching their full potential. Duraner also highlighted portrayals of women in both media and literary works, citing examples such as advertisements that show household chores as exclusively women’s responsibility, thus perpetuating these gender roles.

Duraner also examined how language shapes sexist discourse, with various examples. She pointed out that expressions like “female president,” “female driver,” and “female surgeon” imply that men are the default norm, thereby reinforcing gender inequality.

Another key topic of the webinar was feminist translation theory. Duraner introduced and explained three feminist translation strategies proposed by Luise von Flotow: supplementing, prefacing and footnoting, and hijacking. She argued that translators are not passive intermediaries but active agents capable of challenging gender norms. Concluding her presentation, Duraner stressed that while language can perpetuate gender inequality, it also holds the power to resist or subvert it.

The event concluded with a Q&A session, during which participants had the opportunity to discuss the details of the presentation.