In Hermes’ shoes : labelling and diagnosing children as acts of translation

Abstract

Educational psychologists (EP) are constantly engaged in diagnosing and labelling children. In this article, we explore this by thinking of the EP as a translator, where the child is translated into psychologised discourse which often results in the allocation of support. This paper questions this act of translation and the role of the EP as the translator. Through Derrida’s writing we point out that this process of translation is not automatic and linear, but is rather complex, uncertain, and aporetic in nature. The EP is caught in a double-bind in this process of translation. We argue that while this could be difficult for the EP, this offers possibilities for transgressions. This article draws upon vignettes from EP practice to question processes of labelling and diagnosis.