Olga Castro

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, University of Warwick

Olga Castro is 'Beatriz Galindo' distinguished senior researcher at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, and Reader in Translation and Transcultural Studies at the University of Warwick (on leave, 2024-2027). She is co-founder and editor-in-chief of the journal Feminist Translation Studies (Taylor & Francis) and has published extensively on the social and political role of translation in the construction of gender and national identities, with a particular focus on transnational feminism, multilingualism, self-translation and stateless cultures in Spain. She is currently Co-PI of the “Feminist Translation Network” project, funded by the AHRC, and member of the “Translation and Reception of Contemporary Feminisms in Catalonia” project, funded by the Solidarity Fund UAB. In the UK, she organised the summer school “Warwick School of Feminist Translation” in 2022 and was founder and Vice-President of the Association of Programmes in Translation and Interpreting of Great Britain and Ireland. She is also corresponding member of the Royal Galician Academy.

The Social Impact of Translation Studies: researching minorised gender and cultural identities

12 Maggio 2025

Room 10 - Teaching Hub

Research has both the potential and the responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the shaping of contemporary societies, driving positive social change and fostering progress towards a more inclusive society. In European academic settings/academia, social impact has become an increasingly significant criterion for research assessment, as reflected in the priorities of evaluation bodies (examples include the UK's Research Excellence Framework and the Spanish Research Agency ANECA) as well as in the frameworks of various research funding schemes (including prestigious calls by Horizon Europe). Within linguistics and translation studies specifically, the emphasis on social impact is also gaining growing recognition. In this paper, I will begin by offering a definition of social impact, broadly understood as the transfer of academic knowledge to society. I will then focus on the social impact that research on minorised gender and cultural identities may have within the field of translation studies. Drawing on concrete examples from my own research projects —on feminist translation studies and on cultural diplomacy initiatives to promote translated literature from non-hegemonic contexts— I will outline ways in which social impact can be conceptualised and measured across three key dimensions: policy-making, capacity building and public engagement. I will finally assess the challenges and opportunities presented by these three dimensions, hoping that my reflections may prove useful to other scholars interested in designing research projects in linguistics and translation studies.