This session presents new work on different ways of eco-translating non-human voices in novels, biographies and poetry, exploring the complex relationship between humans and non-humans in different cultural and linguistic contexts. This session is timely as it concurs with posthumanism/post-anthropocentrism, the increasing awareness and criticism of human-centred thinking, such as human exceptionalism. In the Anthropocene, humans frequently reduce the complexity of other life forms, treating them as mere resources or energy used by humans without adequate consideration for the future. This perceived superiority creates a dichotomy between humans and non-humans, influencing knowledge production and literacy activities. To echo the rising ecological sensibility in humanities, many translation scholars (Hu, 2013; 2022, Cronin 2017, Marais 2018, Dasca & Cerarols 2024) have initiated fruitful conversations about including non-humans to examine how translation connects humans with a broader physical world of nature. However, very few of them extended their theoretical discussions into translation practice, given that translation is a practical activity. In this case, this panel seeks to explore how to understand non-humans, prompting further methods of translating non-humans and ethical considerations of eco-translation. Eco-translation can offer philosophical understanding of our physical world via literary practice. By engaging in eco-translation that makes texts more inclusive and eco-sensitive, readers may develop greater ecological awareness and foster a deeper understanding of our shared environmental responsibility.

To promote discussions, I have selected four panelists for a 12-minute presentation each and a 15-minute discussion led by Odile Cisneros, an expert in translation and ecocriticism, who will introduce each presenter, organize Q&A and make comments and concluding remarks.

We will begin with Ji's presentation titled "Translating the Beast: An Exploration of the Practices of Eco-Translation". It explores commonalities between eco-translation and related theories, such as feminist and decolonial translation, particularly regarding their goals and strategies by analyzing the Chinese translation of Being a Beast. This book challenges human-animal separateness. It critiques human exceptionalism that mirrors hierarchical structures opposed by feminism and decolonialism. These frameworks amplify marginalized voices, suggesting their strategies can adapt to eco-translating non-humans. This study assesses whether the author's philosophical outlook of animal subjectivity and critical anthropomorphism are conveyed in the translation, contesting anthropocentric views.

Belletti and Valisa's "Translating the Voices of the Non-Human in Contemporary Italian Ecopoetry" examines how contemporary Italian ecopoets, such as Prisca Agustoni, Teodora Mastrototaro, Fabio Pusterla, and Tiziano Fratus, explore non-human perspectives and question anthropocentric assumptions. Based on their experience curating Delos 40.2, the first major anthology of Italian ecopoetry in English, they reflect on the ethical implications of both translation and editorial selection. They discuss how to convey the tension between human and non-human agency, and how to preserve linguistic ambiguity and embodied difference. Combining close textual analysis with ecocritical insight, they propose that translation and curation can serve as ethical, transformative practices that invite readers to reflect on the fragile, interconnected relationships between humans and the more-than-human world.

Bailey's "Consider the Octopus" examines interspecies communication between humans and octopi in selected nonfictions and fantasies. The popular trope of octopus in animal intelligence representations warrants further study. Her intervention deals with science fiction which focuses on the unique biology of a radial body to speculate on the limitations of human language. This study builds on the work of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, analyzing metaphors of directionality and time in language which are fundamentally grounded in humans' unidirectional bodies. She argues that despite the "octopedal imaginary" which allows authors to reconfigure their approaches towards language, many of them still draw on translation across human languages in their presentations of linguistic Otherness.

Odile's "'The Outside Doctors the Inside: Translating the Postmodern Environment" considers pioneer Canadian ecopoetry anthologies like Regreen (2009) that examined the effects of humans on the environment. Inverting that paradigm, Adam Dickinson's innovative collection Anatomic (2018) probes to what extent environmental toxins and parasites act on us. Dickinson's poetic "report" on countless laboratory tests on his own secretions and physiological samples reveals the secret life of the body, its permeability to herbicides and flame retardants, and the legion of microbes that populate it. This paper explores the challenge of translating this work into Brazilian Portuguese as part of an Anthology of Canadian Experimental Poetry.

These presentations challenge anthropocentric views in cultural and translation activities, echoing ecological crises. Scholars from various universities, including graduate students and professors, will discuss the proposed topic in English, Chinese, Italian and Brazilian contexts. We aim to build presentations to encourage audiences to question on eco-translation, aligning with the call to engage non-humans in translation studies.