2023 is Shadow Heroes Research and Development year! Click here to find out more information about this next phase of our work.

Creative translation workshops

We are an education initiative that supports young people in embracing all sides of their linguistic and cultural heritages. We do this through creative translation workshops that are rooted in students’ experiences and interests, and encourage them to think critically about issues such as representation, self-expression, and the relationship between language and power.

We believe in education that is critical, creative and inclusive, and that values all languages, in all their forms.

Languages are political, dynamic, varied and ever-changing. Language education in the UK does not currently reflect this reality. The curriculum focus on standard forms of Western European languages and English creates a perceived hierarchy, placing value on these languages and these language varieties over others. Our transformative workshops raise critical awareness of these issues to create a more widely engaging, inclusive learning environment.

“The Shadow Heroes workshop has helped the students gain a fresh perspective on how the language we use reflects who we are and enabled them to think critically about the assumptions we might have about people from different backgrounds. The activities were imaginative and energised the class.”

Teacher, Farnborough Sixth Form College

In 2022, 90% of students rated the workshop content 8/10 or above.

UNTEACH festival 2021

We hosted a free festival in collaboration with the Institute of Modern Languages Research, SOAS World Languages Institute, and The Endangered Languages Archive exploring pathways towards education that is free from prejudice and discrimination.

Our partners and supporters

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literary translators' statement of solidarity with gaza & west bank, calling for ceasefire

organized after attempts to encourage UK's @Soc_of_Authors to issue a statement was met with resistance, & in light of silence from multiple orgs

add your name!

Translators around the world, please add your name to the Translators Statement of Solidarity With Gaza

In conversation with Platform Mag about translation, Naulakhi Kothi and @shadow_heroes.

https://t.co/1XTLwKCLFG