Translation as a Vehicle for Social Change: Justin Baldoni’s Man Enough Translation Proposal

This thesis focuses on the translation of two chapters from actor, director and speaker Justin Baldoni’s debut book, Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity. Published in 2021, not only is this autobiography a personal journey through the author’s life, but it is also an opportunity to rethink and question the concept of masculinity as we conceive it in our Western society. The thesis is divided into three chapters: overview of the main topics tackled in this work translation proposal and translation commentary. The first chapter provides context on the current sociopolitical landscape in Italy, emphasizing the challenges in establishing a productive dialogue between Italian feminist movements and Italian institutions. Within this framework, translation is seen as a naturally revolutionary practice and a necessary act of disobedience capable of fostering social change. The second chapter consists of the translation into Italian of the Introduction and fifth chapter of the book, Privileged Enough, which delves into the concept of intersectionality, an essential analytical tool in contemporary feminism. The key aspect of the Italian translation is the use of the schwa symbol (ə) as a graphic device to ensure gender inclusivity in the text. The third chapter offers a technical commentary on both the final translation and the translation process, highlighting the problems and challenges encountered and explaining the techniques and solutions implemented to resolve them. In addition to discussing the schwa as both an intra- and extratextual choice, particular attention is given to an extratextual issue concerning the author’s personal conduct, which raised ethical questions regarding the validity of the translation proposal.