Katherine Heller
Thesis title: Fan Culture and Retranslation: The 'Sailor Moon' Franchise
PhD supervisors:
Background
Katherine is currently in the third year of her PhD in Translation Studies. Her previous studies were also undertaken in Edinburgh; an undergraduate degree in Japanese and an MSc in Translation Studies.
She has also worked as a freelance translator in areas such as anime subtitling, tourism and marketing. Katherine currently tutors in Japanese-English translation on the Japanese Language Lower Intermediate course.
Her research interests lie in the areas of comics translation, audiovisual translation, publishing, reception, and fan studies.
Qualifications
- PhD Translation Studies, University of Edinburgh, 2021-present
- MSC Translation Studies, University of Edinburgh, 2018-2019
- MA Japanese, University of Edinburgh, 2014-2018
Responsibilities & affiliations
Student representative for PhD Translation Studies
Undergraduate teaching
- Japanese Language Lower Intermediate (Japanese-English Translation)
Research summary
Katherine works in the language pairing of Japanese-English and her PhD project explores the impact that fan communities can have on commercial manga and anime (re)translation strategies, focusing specifically on the case of the 'Sailor Moon' franchise.
Her research research aims to examine (1) how the expansion of fan audiences and the creation of fan translations has influenced the strategies used in professional translations, and (2) what today’s fan audiences want from a retranslation of a ‘classic’ title.
Katherine's PhD is funded by the University of Edinburgh College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science Research Award for Literatures, Languages and Cultures.
Organiser
Co-organiser of the University of Edinburgh Translation Studies Research Seminar Series 2022-2024
Panel moderator and assistant to the organisation team, International Postgraduate Conference in Translation and Interpreting (IPCITI) 2023
Papers delivered
Faculty of Arts and Humanities Postgraduate Conference 2024 - Change and Disruption (University of Stirling, 7 June 2024)
'Fan Audiences and Changing Manga and Anime (Re)translation Strategies: The Case of Sailor Moon'.
Translation Studies Research Seminar Series 2023 to 2024 (University of Edinburgh, 7 February 2024).
'Manga and anime fan translation strategies and their influence on professional retranslation'.
Fan Studies Network North Ameria 2023 Conference (Online, 12 October 2023).
'Ever-changing Fan Communities and the (Re)translation of the Sailor Moon Franchise'.
Encounters: Memory, Community, Futurity (University of Glasgow, 13 June 2023).
'Fan Communities and the (Re)translation of the Sailor Moon Franchise'.
Translation Studies Research Seminar Series 2022 to 2023 (University of Edinburgh, 16 November 2022).
'Fan Culture and Retranslation: The Sailor Moon Franchise'.
Translation Studies Research Seminar Series 2021 to 2022 (University of Edinburgh, 2 February 2022).
'Fan Culture and Retranslation: The Sailor Moon Franchise'.