Self-translation is not limited to published authors. It is present wherever individuals and communities use more than one language in everyday life. Immigrants, bilingual families and multilingual communities often adapt their voice, ideas or sense of self depending on the language they are using. They all experience forms of self-translation, from casual writing and speech to music and social media. Migration and cultural studies have used the concept to describe how identities are reshaped through movement between languages and cultures. Changing language can affect how people speak, write, create and even understand themselves. Seen in this way, self-translation is a widespread and natural phenomenon.

In self-translation, the author and the translator are the same person. This challenges the widespread assumption – still common outside academic debates – that there is a clear hierarchy between an “original” and its translation. Because all versions come from the same voice, self-translation can present languages as equally valid. This is particularly significant in contexts where languages do not enjoy a similar social or cultural status. Self-translation allows authors to address different linguistic communities without abandoning one language in favour of another.

Languages exist within hierarchies shaped by institutions, education and socio-economic dynamics. Some languages are supported and legitimised, while others are marginalised or treated as less valuable. Self-translation tends to take place within these unequal conditions. Choices about which language to use, (self-)translate into or foreground are therefore never neutral. Self-translation can reproduce existing hierarchies, but it can also challenge them by making minorised languages visible and audible in public space. In this sense, self-translation becomes an expression of power and agency.

European cultural traditions have long been influenced by the idea that one nation corresponds to one language. This single-language, or monolingual, mindset has obscured multilingual realities and side-lined languages that do not fit national frameworks. By engaging with multiple languages, self-translators make multilingualism visible and defy the assumption that a text, identity or culture belongs to only one language. This reveals creative and social practices as plural, fluid and negotiated, encouraging societies to rethink how languages are valued and supported.

Self-translation occurs across literature, music and digital platforms. Written works have traditionally conferred prestige, while online spaces allow greater diversity, participation and circulation beyond institutional constraints. Together, these domains increase the visibility of minorised languages, validate diverse linguistic forms and demonstrate that they are living, dynamic means of communication. Self-translation thus expands where and how languages are used.

Self-translation can amplify minorised languages and identities, but it does not automatically lead to empowerment or equality. In some contexts, dominant languages may still be prioritised, and minorised languages remain marginal. The effects of self-translation depend on social attitudes, institutional support and political and economic conditions. ATLAS examines when and how self-translation functions as a form of linguistic activism — and when it does not — by analysing authors’ motivations, publishing practices, industry and societal attitudes.

Self-translation sits at the intersection of language, culture, identity, creativity and power. Despite being widespread, its role in language vitality and maintenance has not been explored in sufficient depth. ATLAS connects individual practices with broader social and political dynamics to examine whether self-translation can contribute to sustaining minorised languages, challenging power asymmetries and promoting greater equality. In doing so, it contributes to debates on multilingualism, linguistic justice and sustainability.