Re-narrating the Red Brigades in Translation: Questions for Translator Ethics

Abstract

Translating the writings of former militants such as members of Italy’s Red Brigades presents translators with important ethical questions. These texts are personal accounts of extraordinary experiences in political and social conflicts, framed by narratives of identity and history that seek to help both the writer and the reader make sense of these experiences. One such text is Compagna luna by Barbara Balzerani, a former Red Brigades militant who took part in the kidnapping and murder of the Italian politician Aldo Moro in 1978. Balzerani frames her experiences within collective narratives of 1970s Italian left-wing militancy, attempting to present a counter-narrative to what she considers..