On Reading and Being: A Kitchen Table Conversation on Translation, Teaching, and Afropean Literature

In thinking about the significance of translation, what works are translated, who is translated, and why, Jon Cho-Polizzi and Adrienne Merritt discuss the role that translation plays in their approaches to teaching and research. Cho-Polizzi has translated a number of authors from Migrationshintergrund (racialized and migratory backgrounds), from Sharon Dodua Otoo's Adas Raum (2021; Ada's Room , 2023) to Fatma Aydemir's Dschinns (2022; Djinns , 2024) and Max Czollek's Desintegriert Euch! (2018; De-Integrate! A Jewish Survival Guide for the 21st Century , 2023). In the interview, Cho-Polizzi discusses his process of translation and its connection to Black feminist theory and thought, as well as the need for broader understanding of literary works in Europe by Black women and other Authors of Color. Cho-Polizzi and Merritt reflect upon their roles as translators and educators within the North American academy, as well as their personal experiences as Persons of Color and how that figures into their approaches.