Translation rights of the more-than-human: thoughts on whale bioacoustics

Abstract

Eco-translation has opened up translation studies to multiple forms of communication that take place in the more-than-human world, challenging the barriers that persist between humanities and life sciences. The article discusses issues of translation, representation, and ethics in relation to the communication systems of cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and porpoises). It explores “language”, “translation”, and “(un)translatability” in the context of whales, then focuses on why the colonial and patriarchal-capitalist heritage is relevant to the bioacoustics research carried out on whale vocalisations. It then turns to the thorny question of who has the right to translate/represent the whales and to issues of translation rights of the more-than-human, concluding with thoughts on the necessity for multidisciplinary and multilingual research teams in marine bioacoustics.