Gender Indeterminacy in English to French Translation: Case Study of Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues

Abstract: This essay explores how characters’ gender indeterminacy in English fiction texts can be translated into French, and which translation choices are available to achieve its preservation. The translation of Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues by Hystériques & AssociéEs is made the focus of this essay, as the gendering in French of the main character, Jess, is examined. By studying each gendered instance and the choices made by the translating collective, multiple strategies were brought out, at different levels of the text. The main strategy identified is one that alternates feminine or masculine forms throughout the text, varying frequencies of each depending on the narrative arc.