International Conference on Translation and Religion
May 20-21, 2027
University of Galway, Ireland
Theme
Religion has long been intertwined with translation. Sacred texts, ritual practices, theological concepts and religious communities have crossed linguistic and cultural boundaries through processes of translation and interpreting. Yet research on religion within Translation and Interpreting Studies has often focused on canonical texts, while the multilingual communication practices that sustain religious life remain comparatively underexamined.
This conference seeks to discuss how translation and religion intersect in multilingual practices, materialities and lived experiences, recognising that translation in religious contexts extends well beyond textual transfer. The publication of The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Religion in 2024 (ed. Hephzibah Israel) marked a moment of critical engagement with changing understandings of the categories ‘translation’ and ‘religion’ as discursive constructs. In the context of these developments, and also reflecting the emergence of material religious studies, the conference adopts an expansive understanding of translation, encompassing interpreting, mediation, adaptation, translanguaging, multimodal communication and other forms of meaning-making.
By focusing on multilingual practices, material forms and everyday religious experiences, the conference seeks to engage with the broader social, cultural, political and ethical dimensions of translation in religious life. It invites critical reflection on the roles of translators, interpreters, religious actors, institutions, technologies and communities in mediating religious knowledge and practice. This conference will bring together scholars working at the intersection of Translation Studies, Interpreting Studies, Religious Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Linguistics and related disciplines to explore the diverse ways in which translation operates within religious contexts. We particularly encourage contributions that examine translation as a social, cultural, material and embodied practice occurring in religious communities, institutions and sites of worship.
The conference aims to foster dialogue between Translation Studies and Religious Studies and to advance understanding of religious translation in both historical and contemporary settings. We welcome contributions from established scholars, early career researchers, postgraduate students, translators, interpreters and practitioners interested in the multilingual and translational dimensions of religious life.
Keynote Speakers:
Hephzibah Israel
Sameh Hanna
Suggested Topics
Topic may include:
Multilingual communication in places of worship
Digital religion, technological mediation and translation
Volunteer and paraprofessional translation and interpreting in religious contexts
Ritual, performance and multimodal translation
Translation infrastructure in religious organisations
Accessibility and inclusion in religious communication
Positionality, access and research ethics in religious fieldwork
Translation, religion and globalisation
Gender in religious translation
Censorship and authority
Retranslation and religious change
Children, education and religious translation
Migration, diaspora and multilingual religious communities
Translation across religious/secular boundaries
Material religion, objects and translational practices
Minority and heritage in religious contexts
Sacred space, place and linguistic landscapes
Pilgrimage, mobility and translation
Missionary translation and language documentation
Faith, ethics and translator/interpreter agency
Translation and religious conversion
Submission Guidelines
Participants are invited to submit individual paper proposals by December 15th 2026 to the following address: translationandreligion@gmail.com
Individual Papers
• Abstract: 250-300 words
• 4-6 keywords
• Short biographical note (100 words)
Important Dates
• Abstract submission deadline: 15th December 2026
• Notification of acceptance: 15th January 2027
• Registration deadline: Feb 2027
• Conference dates: May 2027
Organisers
Anderson Centre for Translation Research and Practice, University of Galway