Earlier in September, Morten Beckmann participated in the international conference Trextuality 2. Material Turns in Translation: Intermediality and Circulation at the University of Galway, Ireland. The conference gathered scholars to explore how translation interacts with materiality, media, and circulation in contemporary contexts.
Morten’s presentation, titled “Bible Leaks and the Opening of Pandora’s Box: Negotiating Bible Translation with the Audience in the Media,” examined translation as a situated process within institutional structures, focusing on the Norwegian Bible Society and its recent release of Bibel 2024.
The talk analyzed how the draft translations was leaked to the media before publication, inviting audience feedback on changes such as gender-inclusive language and texts related to homosexuality and hell. While intended to foster dialogue, these leaks sparked intense public debate and accusations of “wokeness,” illustrating how consumer and media agency can influence institutional decision-making.
Drawing on New Framing Theory and an infrastructural lens, Morten highlighted how media framing amplified polarization and how the Protestant infrastructure—lacking a central ecclesiastical authority—both enables and constrains translation processes.
This case study sheds light on the complex interplay between translation, audience participation, and media dynamics, revealing how translation decisions are negotiated in public arenas rather than behind closed doors.
👉 Read more about the conference here