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Footnote Guerrilla Tactics

Written by Francesca Cricelli |

 

Between footnotes and guerrilla tactics, there exists a powerful intersection in translation practice. A footnote in Translation Studies represents a paratextual device and metacommunicative strategy through which translators bridge linguistic, cultural, and conceptual gaps between source and target texts. Footnotes serve as markers of translator intervention that make visible the mediating role of translation while facilitating cross-cultural communication through the explanation of culture-specific items, intertextual references, and semantic ambiguities that resist direct equivalence. From a functionalist approach, footnotes serve as a translation technique that prioritizes what Christiane Nord terms “documentary translation”—making explicit the source culture elements rather than naturalizing them into the target culture. This aligns with Lawrence Venuti’s concept of “foreignization” as opposed to “domestication creating spaces where cultural differences can be acknowledged and explored rather than erased.

The term “guerrilla” warfare originated from the Spanish word meaning “little war,” first widely used during the Peninsular War (1808–1814). The evolution of guerrilla warfare represents a strategic adaptation by militarily disadvantaged forces confronting superior conventional armies. The twentieth century witnessed the systematic development of guerrilla warfare, particularly within anti-colonial struggles and revolutionary movements. These historical applications continue to inform strategic thinking in asymmetrical contexts, offering valuable parallels to the ways translators can work within and against established systems.

My journey in translation began in 2015 with Elena Ferrante’s work. Breaking into the publishing world requires a helping hand—someone opening a door. While women constitute a significant part of this industry, gatekeeping often remains in male hands, creating a complex dynamic of power and representation that affects everything from text selection to translation strategies. My then PhD supervisor, Prof. Mauricio Santana Dias, introduced me to Ana Lima Cecilio, my first publisher. Through early experiences with Ana, I learned the art of making choices and standing up for my decisions in translation. More importantly, I discovered the power of collaboration over competition, especially in projects involving women. This shift from a phallocentric modus operandi, where one constantly competed and discredited others’ work, to collaborative work proved crucial for professional growth and the development of more nuanced translation practices.

After Ferrante, translating Igiaba Scego’s work marked a significant turning point in my understanding of translation as a political practice. Italian schools had used her novel "La mia casa è dove sono" to introduce a decolonial perspective on Italian history, necessitating extensive footnotes. Working with publisher Simone Paulino allowed unprecedented freedom in adapting these notes for Brazilian readers, creating a bridge between two postcolonial contexts. This experience revealed how occupying even small spaces of power enables perspective changes through strategic choices. We could maintain academic rigor while making the text accessible, carefully balancing information delivery without turning the novel into an academic essay. The process demonstrated how footnotes could serve as sites of resistance and education simultaneously.

The intersection of footnotes and guerrilla tactics becomes particularly evident when working on texts not explicitly focused on feminist or decolonial themes. While translating Massimo Missiroli’s “Fedeltà,” I encountered an opportunity to address misogynistic content through strategic footnoting. The novel referenced “Drive In,” a 1980s Italian TV show, and the dialogue itself hinted at its problematic nature:

“Mom!” —and she couldn’t hold back a smile.
“But why are you so obsessed with politics?”
“I lived with a man who voted for Berlusconi. Do you know what he said when I asked him why?”
“What? I vote for Silvio because of the Drive In show.”
“Boobs and butts.”
“The lightness, my dear,” she settled into the sofa, “you can’t imagine how boobs and butts can be good entertainment.”

Working with a major commercial publisher, I strategically included a footnote highlighting the show’s problematic representation of women:

[translator’s note] Silvio Berlusconi owned Drive In, a variety show that aired in Italy in the 1980s on Italia 1. While launching many comedians to fame, it consistently presented women in semi-nudity as program “accessories,” typical of Italian variety shows of that era.

Similar tactical interventions appeared in my translation of Scego’s latest novel, “Cassandra em Mogadício.” When the author mentioned a song from “Indietro tutta!” that people would sing to her mother, a Black woman, I added a footnote explaining how the show mocked Brazilian Portuguese and featured women of color in minimal attire. The footnote served multiple purposes: cultural translation, historical context, and critical commentary on racial and gender representation:

[translator’s note] Renzo Arbore and Claudio Mattone composed the song for the show "Indietro Tutta!" Paola Cortellesi sung the song, mocking Brazilian Portuguese by modifying Italian words to end with the diphthong "o," as if this was the case for all Portuguese words. The song became so famous that people would look for the non-existent product “cacao meravigliao” in stores.

Perhaps one of the most significant interventions came while translating Ada D’Adamo’s “D’Aria,” a powerful narrative about a mother’s relationship with her severely handicapped daughter. The book touched on Italy’s abortion rights and the author’s experience of not being informed about her daughter’s brain malformation during pregnancy. Through careful footnoting, I addressed the growing phenomenon of “conscientious objectors”—healthcare professionals who deliberately create barriers to legal abortion access in Italy, despite Law 194 guaranteeing these rights. This intervention was particularly crucial as it connected personal narrative to ongoing political struggles around reproductive rights.

These strategic deployments of footnotes represent a sophisticated form of guerrilla translation practice. Just as guerrilla warfare evolved as a response by disadvantaged forces, translator’s notes can function as tactical interventions within commercial publishing constraints. Through “guerrilla footnoting,” translators engage in metacommunicative resistance while operating within established frameworks, combining Nord’s documentary translation concept with Venuti’s foreignization for ethical and political intervention. This approach allows translators to maintain professional standards while subtly challenging normative narratives and power structures.

The publishing industry continues to grapple with socioeconomic stratification in the translation workforce. The intersection of gender and class in translation practice raises fundamental questions about collective bargaining power and intellectual labor valorization. While collaborative initiatives have yielded valuable horizontal dialogue, the field faces persistent intersectional challenges, particularly regarding the predominance of cultural elites in decision-making positions and the systematic undervaluation of translation work.

Without cohesive organization acknowledging these intersectional dimensions, substantial improvements in working conditions remain uncertain. This suggests an urgent need to reconceptualize translator organizing through an intersectional feminist framework addressing both gender and class-based disparities within the industry. Only through such collective action can we hope to create lasting change in both the practice and politics of translation, transforming the field into one that truly serves the needs of all its practitioners and the broader goal of cross-cultural understanding.

Dr Francesca Cricelli (ILCS Visiting Fellow 2023–2024)


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