Anaïs De Vierman

Response Paper: Moments of Translation in a divided city

I have chosen to discuss the reading Moments of Translation in a divided city by Professor
Sherry Simon. Simon’s work focuses on translation in plurilingual contexts, more specifically
in multilingual cities where language relations play an essential part. In her research,
translation is used as the analytical tool to examine changing ties between different
communities.

This reading forms the introduction to Simon’s book Translating Montreal: Episodes in the Life
of a Divided City.
Simon depicts Montreal as a cosmopolitan city where two different communities are
joined together, yet are separate. In the past it has even been described as a city constituted
of two entirely different halves that coexisted without acknowledging each other’s existence.
The boundary that represents this division is that between anglophone West and francophone
East. Crossing the enormous cultural distance separating this dual city is not an easy
endeavour, and it has often been the subject of Montreal literature. Simon puts translators at
the centre of this action since they are the ones who create passages between different
cultural realities.
In the 1980s, communities in Montreal became more diverse and identities became
harder to define according to strict linguistic or ethnic categories. This is especially the case
for the polyglot and hybrid culture of Montreal’s contact zones. One of those contact zones is
Mile End, where an in-between culture had been created and had given rise to a buffer zone
in which a mixture of identities and languages came together. Simon wrote an essay on this
zone in which she aimed to identify the various sites of cultural hybridity. However, the notion
of hybridity turned out to be too loose since it does not incorporate the understanding of the
historical context. Translation can be used as the analytical tool in these circumstances. It is
capable of examining changing relations between communities as it “creates points of contact
in an enduring dialogue that includes zones of silence” (2006, p. 9). When looking at the
historical context, Montreal has transformed from a polarised and language-conscious city in
the 1960s, to a bilingual city where contact is so excessive that translation often fails and new
forms of expression are created. Translation is a form of regulation that allows transactions
across language while keeping them separate at the same time. However, translation is put
to the test in certain areas of Montreal where the two languages “mingle relentlessly” (2006,
p. 9). This is how translation became a condition and “multilingualism, mixed languages and
code-switching became preferred modes of communication” (2006, p. 10).

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These informal language practices, which are the result of a growing number of
different cultural exchanges, occur implicitly. However, there are also other forms of translation
that are more explicit, such as translation that acts as a measure to protect French since it
continues to be a fragile language in North America. This can create the illusion of a
symmetrical relationship between cultures in a nation such as bilingual Canada, although in
reality there is an imbalance between the two groups.
On the other hand, this power imbalance is reflected in translation practices, since they
allow us understand cultural relationships between particular communities at a particular
moment in time. In Montreal, where there has always been a predominantly French-speaking
population, the culture of translating from English into French implies translating as literally as
possible in order to maintain the difference that exists in a divided city and to keep the
presence of the other. Nevertheless, this does not apply to translation in the opposite direction,
from French into English, which is more similar to a voice-over, as Forest (1990) suggests,
meaning that one language smothers the other, reducing it to a “barely audible murmur” (2006,
p. 13).
Choosing the city as a frame means not considering translation as a “mail-service”
(2006, p. 17) between two distant cultures, but rather as the source of culture “on site” (2006,
p. 17), given that culture is born in translation in the sense that it is formed by “exchange,
resistance or interpenetration” (2006, p. 17). In this sense, it gives a new perspective to
translation, which has traditionally been associated with being a cultural exchange between
nations. For this reason, the importance of the city is undeniable.

This particular reading is strongly related to the overall theme of the course as it discusses the
role translation plays in a multilingual and multicultural environment, which is the global city of
Montreal.
Although it is the introductory chapter to a book that covers a broad number of topics
related to this overall theme, a lot of points mentioned tie in with the research I am conducting
for my Master’s thesis. My thesis comprises a corpus analysis of non-professional translation
into English in the city of Antwerp. The reading helped me gain a lot of insight into how my
city, Antwerp, compares to Montreal and how it differs.
Antwerp is a city in the Flemish region of Belgium. This means the official language is
Dutch. However, the language dynamics have changed throughout the course of history and
Antwerp has evolved from a French-speaking city into the Flemish-speaking city it is today.
Although it has been marked by translation from French into Dutch and vice versa, it is
important to note the importance of translation from and into English in the city at the present
Commented [JW1]: Antwerp has always been an
time. As one of the most significant harbours in Europe and a city frequented by tourists from important harbour. Before the rise of English
worldwide, would there have been another kind of
all over, English has become an important lingua franca in Antwerp. Furthermore, Antwerp’s lingua franca in use?

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immigrant population is ever-growing. In the 1960s, a large number of Moroccans, Turkish

and Italian labour workers were brought to Belgium to work in the mining industry. The number
amount of immigrants, in Antwerp especially of Moroccan and Turkish descent, has only grown
from then onwards through family reunification. Other important immigrant groups include the
orthodox Jewish community, which is mainly active in the diamond industry. Antwerp is even
considered the last shtetl in Western Europe. Currently, a little over half (50,5%) of the
population in Antwerp comprises people with an immigrant background. This is reflected in
the translations that can be found in the city, with languages such as Arabic, Turkish and
Hebrew, but also Asian languages such as Mandarin and Thai, forming the source language
of translations into Dutch, English and French. While collecting data in Antwerp, what I noticed
is that there is far more Dutch and English to be found, compared to French. And if there was
a French translation available, it was almost always accompanied by a subsequent English
translation. The growth of the English proficiency level in Flanders is both natural and
regulated. Popular culture in Flanders is heavily influenced by Anglo-Saxon culture; the
majority of films, television shows and music come from English-speaking countries and
nothing is dubbed. This means Flemish people are exposed to a lot of English from a young
age. On the other hand, English is taught as a required foreign language for all students from
an early age and it is taught using a communicative approach. It is also adopted in many
university courses as the language of instruction. The culmination of these factors has led
Flanders to score “very high” according to EF’s English Proficiency Index (EPI).
The divided character of Montreal and Canada is very similar to the situation in Commented [JW2]: Similar in that there is more than
one language, but different in that Belgian has separate
Belgium. In the past, Montreal has been described as two different communities that are joined linguistic regions while Canada is “officially,” at least,
bilingual across the nation. Some call this a “territorial”
together, yet are separate. This reality is parallel to the situation in Belgium today, in which vs “indivual” bilingualism. Montreal is a particular case
the Flemish region and the Walloon region coexist, but often ignore each other’s existence. in that there were separate communities de facto, but
not divided in any official way. There are parallels to be
The secession of the regions has been a topic of discussion for quite some time now. This is drawn, however, in the linguistic tensions which have
resulted in political pressure for secession,
not only due to the difference in language but also because of the economic imbalance independence, etc. I provide these comments in case
you wish you incorporate some of these comparisons
between the regions, with Flanders being the wealthier of the two. Because of this, Flanders into your MA thesis – there would be scholarly material
on the subject to consult.
proportionately contributes most to the common Belgian federal budget. This discrepancy is
used as a tool to create tension in the political arena and a number of Belgian nationalist
parties have arisen as a result, representing the ‘Flemish movement’ towards an independent
Flemish state. In the most recent elections, the far right-wing populist Flemish nationalist
political party Vlaams Belang (‘Flemish Interest’) became the second biggest party after N-VA
(New Flemish Alliance), a right-wing Flemish nationalist party only slightly more centre right
on the political spectrum. Vlaams Belang has been condemned for racism and it has been
subjected to the cordon sanitaire in which all of the traditional Flemish parties have agreed to
systematically exclude the party, and never form a coalition with it. However, following the
2019 elections, it has been speculated that the cordon sanitaire may be broken. In terms of

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identity and language, some of the points on their agenda include forbidding dual citizenship
and communication with foreigners in a language other than Dutch. A recent debate topic has
been that of prohibiting pupils from speaking any language other than Dutch during recess
and on the playground and even going so far as to punish them for doing so. Scholars such
as Kris Van Den Branden who is the current director of the Centre for Language and Education
at KU Leuven has spoken out about the detrimental nature of these rules and regulations. In
fact, scientific studies have proven that children and adolescents are very sensitive towards
how others treat their mother tongue since it is such a strong part of our identity and we are
emotionally tied to it. Banning students from speaking their first language sends a negative
signal and makes them feel unwelcome, in turn resulting in worse results in class. Allowing
multilingualism is, therefore, investing in the well-being of students.
Another fascinating link between Simon’s reading and the situation in Belgium is the
illusion of symmetry that translation can create between two languages that are unequal in
terms of power balance. The Brussels-Capital region is officially bilingual in French and Dutch.
This implies that street names, police cars, metro stops, and all signage is strictly bilingual.
The reality is that the majority of the population are monolingual in French and it is estimated
that only around 10% speak Dutch.
An interesting point that Simon makes in this reading is that translation not only brings
cultures together, but that it is also the source of culture: the creation of new, merged cultures.
This is reflected in a new form of language in which two separate languages are combined to
create a new one, such as in the form of code-mixing. This is something that is also very
prominent in the Flemish culture and the different dialects spoken across the Dutch-speaking
region of Belgium. This hybrid language used to be a combination of French and Dutch, given
the historical context of Belgium. Although French-inspired words and terms are not part of
the official Dutch language, which is also the language shared with the Netherlands, it is
strongly reflected in the dialects spoken in the different Flemish cities and in Brussels. For
example, in Antwerp the word vélo is used to refer to a bicycle. It is so strongly present in the
Antwerp dialect that even the self-service bikes have been named A Velo (the letter A is a
reference to the name of the city). Nevertheless, in recent years there has been a shift towards
a new vernacular spoken by the Flemish youth, but also in the Netherlands, that has been
strongly influenced by Anglo-Saxon pop culture. Code-switching is one of its main features,
especially in spoken dialect, where people use English terms in their daily speech. They are
mainly, but not limited to, cultural references, swear words and English expressions. However,
when collecting data for my thesis, I came across forms of code-switching in written format as
well: slogans for companies, menus and in window signage. This is mostly done to create a
comedic effect or catch the viewer’s attention. The following example was found in the window Commented [JW3]: Great example!
display of a coffee bar in Antwerp:

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In English:

“Dear customers,

Georges is on vacation for a few days. Gaining

inspiration to serve you better than ever from
Monday, 10th April.

My apologies for the inconvenience.

Your barista.”

Cities are places where we learn to live together with other cultures and learn to accept
the other. There is no denying that we are heading towards a multicultural and multilingual
society in which the traditional lines of identity are blurred yet the gap between natives and
immigrants continues to expand, leaving room for xenophobia and extremism. Translation Commented [JW4]: Certainly fuelled by more than just
language differences...
offers us a medium to move between different languages and a gateway to create passages
Commented [JW5]: This is a great metaphor for
between them. Moreover, it is a tool that can be used to study different aspects of city life and translation.
memory throughout history, such as degrees of power, cultural relevance, zones of
interactions and affects. In this sense, translators act as journalists who illuminate ties between
communities and relations between languages.

This is a very thorough analysis of the text by Sherry Simon, with perceptive comparisons
drawn between the cities of Montreal and Antwerp. I like the way in which you have applied
insights from the reading to your own work, which strikes me as very rich, pertinent and
promising.
Your presentation to the class on June 26 was outstanding. The slides were attractive and
effective. Your delivery was confident and the content was clear.
Highly satisfactory altogether.
A

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