Invitation: Celebratory symposium on the occasion of Peter Flynn’s recent book ‘Translating in the Local Community’ (3 December 2024)

Last year, Routledge published a remarkable book, Translating in the Local Community, by professor emeritus and CETRA teaching staff member Peter Flynn. This publication is the culmination of years of meticulous and dedicated research into multilingualism in the superdiverse city of Ghent, Belgium. Peter builds on work in translation studies, sociolinguistics, linguistic ethnography and anthropology to offer a translational perspective on scholarship on multilingualism and translation. Each chapter comprises a different multilingual site, ranging from schools to eateries to public transport, and unpacks specific dimensions of translation practices within and against constantly shifting multilingual settings. The book also reflects on socio-political factors and methodological considerations of concern when undertaking such an approach. Taken together, the chapters provide a composite picture of translation in a multilingual city, demonstrating how tracing physical, linguistic and social trajectories of movement in these contexts can deepen our understanding of the contemporary dynamics of multilingualism and natural translation and of translanguaging, more broadly.