Middle English translation: Discursive fields according to social class and gender

• Male medieval translators' chief works are described.
• A historical analysis of late medieval cultural environment is made.
• Medieval and Renaissance women translators' main texts are examined.
• Women innovative contributions to the literary field are studied.

SynopsisThis paper aims to describe and analyse the influence of medieval and early Renaissance translators on linguistic and social standards of those times. Men led most cultural floors but it is in the translation spheres where women were allowed to develop their own literary voice. After a historical and cultural overview of the main male translators in the Middle Ages, we highlight the work of female writers such as Hull, Kempe and Beaufort, among others. These authors produced ground-breaking translations which contained a shift in the topics and foci so far dealt with by men; moreover, the language and even the lifestyles of these women did not match the traditional parameters of the time. As a consequence, their works caused a real translation and cultural Renaissance, widening target audiences and preserving religious texts.