In Other Words: Addressing Language and Multilingualism

In Other Words: Addressing Language and Multilingualism

Says Who?: Language Discrimination in Academic Publishing

Stella Sanchez, MPS in Publishing graduate, George Washington University; Assistant Managing Editor, Aerospace Medical Association

This presentation discusses evidence of linguistic discrimination—defined as being mistreated or devalued based on language use—in English-language academic publishing and explores how it might be subverted by changes in editing policies and business practices. Among professional linguists, there is a relatively firm consensus that claiming the superiority of one language, or one form within a single language, over others is both fallacious and damaging. However, author instructions and peer review guidelines frequently reference the use of “standard” English as a professional expectation, reinforcing tangible barriers against non-native English speakers. The author recommends a utilitarian approach to reducing the effects of linguistic discrimination in the scholarly publishing community and suggests a new lens through which to view the future of editing in the international scholarly publishing space.

Stella Sanchez, B.A., M.P.S., currently serves as the Assistant Managing Editor of Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, an English-language research journal with an international readership, published by the Aerospace Medical Association. She holds a dual Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Journalism, with a minor in Cognitive Science, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Recently, she graduated from the Master of Professional Studies in Publishing program at The George Washington University.

Networks and Collaborative Alliances towards Latin America

Edgar García-Valencia, Veracruzana University

After considerable discussion in the past four years about “nearshoring”—relocating business operations to a nearby country in a response to offshoring—is it possible to establish publishing alliances, and not only with publishers, but also with printers and other partners, to establish closer or more specific collaborations? Partnerships in print-on-demand and with bookstores are avenues that are being explored in Latin America and have the potential to work for content in all languages. Going beyond exports of US books from the U.S. to Latin America, how do we frame the potential for Latin American books in the U.S., where a sizable market for Spanish-language books exists? This presentation examines the potential, and the challenges, for increased distribution and collaboration.

Edgar García-Valencia, Veracruzana University, was previously director of two of Mexico's largest and oldest university presses, the Centre for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS) and Veracruzana University Press, from 2004-2021. Additionally, he co-founded and coordinated Altexto, the Mexican Association of University Presses. He works at Universidad Veracruzana, focusing on image, culture, and publishing practices, both past and present. He also consults on digital publishing for various institutions in Latin America.

Does the Editor Need to be a Translator to Offer Quality Multilingual Content?

Laura Rodríguez Mejía, Independent Editor, Proofreader and Translator

Although a larger number of journals publish in at least two languages (the article’s original language and English), it is less common to see publications that offer three or four languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French and English, for example, and even less common to include indigenous or other regional languages. To accomplish multilingualism in publishing, greater cooperation is needed: a single publisher cannot afford to provide its content in more than two languages, sometimes it can barely manage to publish in two. Cooperation, however, needs to be supported with resources (including economic resources) to support the work of translators, proofreaders, and reviewers. This includes an often-overlooked resource: translation sensitivity, the ability to identify the need to distance from literal translation to offer a text that is truly faithful to the original content.

Laura Rodríguez Mejía is an independent editor, proofreader and translator. She has a degree in Modern Languages and another one in Literary Studies from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia. She currently works as a Professional of Periodicals in Ediciones Unisalle where she oversees the standardization of editorial processes, the review of different textual typologies, and translations and content in English and Spanish.