Banned Books Week 2026 - Banned Books Woche 2026

This talk will examine the Indonesian translations of six American young adult novels: Speak, Just Listen, The Way I Used to Be, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 13 Reasons Why, and Sold, all published between 2005 and 2020. Focusing on the translation of sensitive and sex-related language, I explore how potentially controversial content is transferred, softened, omitted, or otherwise altered as these novels enter the Indonesian literary market. I consider censorship and self-censorship in translation, and how translators, editors, publishers, and expectations surrounding Indonesian (young) readers shape what ultimately crosses the border.

Lidya Pawestri Ayuningtyas is a final-year PhD student at the University of Western Australia. Her research focuses on the translation of sex-related language in young adult novels from English into Indonesian, with particular interest in censorship and self-censorship in translation. Her work has been published in Babel, Perspectives, and New Voices in Translation Studies and she has presented at international translation studies conferences and research events.

The talk will be moderated by Silvia Schultermandl, co-founder of the Banned Books Network Münster.