Reimagining Literary Translation for Generation Z: Agency and Creativity among Iranian Teenagers

Shoja Neynava¹ Kian Khosraviani²

1) Master of Art, Department of English, Sanandaj branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran.
2) Independent Researcher

Publication : 4th International Conference on Researches in Accounting, Economics, Management & Humanities(meaconf.com)
Abstract :
This original mixed-methods case study investigates how Iranian teenagers (age 14–17, all male, n=120) from Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, reinterpret literary translation as a creative, collaborative, and multimodal practice aligned with Generation Z’s digital literacies. Grounded in sociocultural and translational agency frameworks, the research combines a structured questionnaire, translation tasks, and semi-structured interviews to map participants’ strategies, attitudes, and creative choices. Quantitative analysis reveals high preferences for interpretive and multimodal translation (mean creativity score = 6.2/8), frequent use of digital affordances (85% report adding images or emojis), and marked peer-influenced revision practices. Qualitative findings emphasize translatorial autonomy, identity work, and resistance to prescriptive literalism. Results suggest that contemporary teen translators favor adaptive reformulation, visual–verbal synergy, and platform-specific localization over strict source-text fidelity. Pedagogical implications include recommending creativity-centered curricula, incorporation of digital production, and assessment models valuing agency and multimodality. The study situates its findings within recent scholarship on translanguaging, youth literacies, and translation pedagogy (2018–2025), arguing for a reoriented literary translation pedagogy that recognizes Generation Z’s creative translational practices.
Keywords : agency creativity generation z iranian teenagers literary translation translanguaging