Research
Projects
Elizabeth Rosales Martínez is a PhD researcher in Translation and Latin American Studies at University College Cork, Ireland. She is currently an awardee of the Irish Research Council Scholarship under the Andrew Grene Postgraduate Scholarship in Conflict Resolution. Her current research entails the translation of stories of people looking for victims of enforced disappearances in Mexico.
​
ORCID:0000-0003-2564-3881
PhD funding: GOIPG/2022/1733
Story arc of a re-searcher, 2022
After attending an insightful masterclass on autofiction with author Sergio Blanco, I created my own writing piece in which I explored the intersection of creativity and research. Through this piece, I aim to offer an account of significant moments in my own life, interwoven with the backdrop of significant societal events in Mexico ― my home country. In this autofiction ― although very close to real events ― I draw a parallelism between grammatical categories, the use of language and life.
CONFERENCES
Self-care actions & creative practices in a translation process
TSNI 2024, University of Galway, Ireland
Focusing on translation as a methodology to address the current crisis of enforced disappearances in the Mexican context, central to my research is the question of how the translator/researcher navigates the emotional complexities inherent in translating these personal and sensitive narratives. With this question in mind, this presentation addressed various translator self-care strategies.
​
Offering an insight into my doctoral research journey, I shared the outputs of creative practices such as drawing and writing, employed to process the emotional toll of narratives or as decompression activities. Furthermore, I explored how these creative outlets not only serve as supportive tools for the translator but also contribute to a more nuanced and empathetic rendering of the testimonies.
​
Additionally, I highlighted the importance of community support, emphasising the role of having a support network. Through this discussion, I aim to contribute to a broader conversation within the field of translation and creative practices, addressing the emotional and methodological dimensions of translating narratives from contexts affected by violence and human rights violations.
Queer Practices of Translation in the Translating of Testimonies of the Search for the Disappeared in Mexico. Notes on a Translation Methodology.
WISPS 2023, University of Warwick, UK
Recognising that conflict influences narratives and acknowledging the significant role language plays in shaping these stories, as we research the ongoing crisis of enforced disappearances in Mexico, we not only search for the missing persons but also strive to find the words that can restore their presence and bring long-awaited justice. Moreover, amidst a bureaucratic narrative riddled with unsettling yet inconsistent statistics, trifling legal jargon, and concealed political motivations, hearing the stories of those who search for their relatives, victims of disappearance, results essential to addressing this crisis. Therefore, an ethical translation of these testimonies is profoundly significant and utterly necessary. Underscoring these considerations, this paper focused on how situating the translation process within feminist and queer methodologies offers a valuable and critical framework to examine how conflicts are framed through language and translation, thus raising ethical, political, and linguistic considerations.
Creative Practice as Research Methodologies for Translation
-
TSNI 2023, University College Cork, Ireland
-
AHGBI – 68, 2023, University College Dublin & Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
In this paper, I examined the parallel between the processes of visual art creation and translation, proposing that both serve as research methodologies that challenge the traditional division between praxis and theory. My doctoral research, which involves translating the stories of those searching for victims of enforced disappearances in Mexico, aims to explore the potential and limitations of translation as an activist tool. Through this reflective exercise, I explored the role of imagination in articulating possibilities at the intersection of translation and activism. I also delved into how practice-based research, whether in translation or artistic practice, constitutes "creative practices of knowledge" as described by Irit Rogoff (2010). This paper incorporates both, theoretical and personal reflections, highlighting how considering translation as a creative practice can help in translating the narratives of those searching for disappeared persons in Mexico. To illustrate this, I used an autofiction text I wrote in the early stages of this research, entitled Story Arc of a Re-searcher, which recounts personal experiences intertwined with public events in Mexico.
