Translation State

Translation State is a 2023 science fiction novel by American author Ann Leckie. Although it is technically a standalone novel, it takes place in the same universe as Leckie’s critically acclaimed science fiction trilogy, Imperial Radch, and another standalone novel, Provenance. In all of her science fiction, Leckie explores the role of gender across various cultures, including how gender intersects with authoritarianism. Many characters in Translation State use pronouns besides he/him or she/her.

This guide is based on the 2023 Hachette Book Group, Inc. e-book edition of the novel.

Content Warning: This text includes brief discussions of sexual violence. 

Plot Summary

Translation State is narrated from three perspectives—those of Enae Athtur, Reet Hluid, and Qven—switching between their stories.

Fifty-six-year-old Enae Athtur (who uses sie/hir pronouns) attends hir grandmother’s funeral and learns that hir grandmother has sold the house, leaving Enae with only an allowance. The house’s new owner, Zemil, sends Enae on a diplomatic mission to track down a fugitive Presger Translator who went missing 200 years ago. Enae meets Caphing, one of Zemil’s cousins, and the two become friends before Enae leaves on hir mission. Reet visits his three parents. They encourage him to explore his heritage.

On a space station, 30-year-old Reet (who uses he/him pronouns) attends an unexpected meeting with Mr. Nadkal, who believes Reet to be a member of an ethnic group called the Hikipi. Reet, who is adopted, is unsure how to feel about this new information. Mr. Nadkal gets Reet a job as a Foreign Relations liaison. Reet wakes up one morning covered in sticky sweat but tells nobody.

Qven (who uses they/them pronouns and is unfamiliar with the concept of gender) is a juvenile Presger Translator. One of the alien species known to humans is the Presger, super-powerful beings that only refrain from killing all humans because of a diplomatic treaty. Humans and the Presger communicate through Presger Translators, aliens created by the Presger who look human but are not. To become adults, Translator juveniles must “match,” which means merging two bodies and consciousnesses. Qven is destined for a prestigious match, but when they see two juveniles matching, they are horrified and decide they do not ever want to match. Another juvenile Translator, Tzam, tries to force Qven to match, but Qven stabs them just as adults arrive.

At Enae’s next stop, Reet has been assigned as hir liaison. When Enae goes to get some food, a woman attacks hir. As Enae recovers, Reet explains that the woman was a Hikipi militant who thought Enae was working for the Phen, who oppress the Hikipi. After looking at the evidence, Enae realizes that Reet is a Presger Translator, not Hikipi. Reet is horrified. His physical symptoms worsen, and he is arrested.

Meanwhile, Qven is in trouble: They are no longer suitable for their intended match after Tzam’s attack. In solitary accommodation, Qven learns that they are now expected to match with Reet, who will be arriving soon.

At the Treaty Administration Facility, a council is convened. It includes Ambassador Seimet Mianaai, a Radch Empire official who oversees the Presger Treaty; delegates from the Rrrrrr and the Geck, two other alien species; Sphene, an AI spaceship in a human body; and Translator Dlar, a Presger Translator with two bodies. To this assembled group, Enae and two of Reet’s parents present a petition for Reet to be considered legally human (though still biologically a Presger Translator), a phenomenon for which there is precedent. Seimet immediately emphatically refuses. The Geck ambassador attends the council remotely via a biological mech suit. Sphene suggests Reet and Qven could each match with a mech instead of each other. 

After Qven watches Tzam die violently as punishment for their crime, Reet and Qven meet and spend time together, gradually learning to trust each other. Reet and Qven attend the council. Qven, having learned about gender from Reet, starts using e/em instead of they/them. Both Qven and Reet now ask to be considered legally human. Mr. Nadkal and the woman who attacked Enae testify that Reet is Hikipi, but when the woman stabs Translator Dlar in the neck, the council room erupts into chaos. The room loses gravity, and some people vanish. Dlar has manipulated the physical space—a Presger Translator ability.

Reet and Qven are in the room with Reet’s parents and Enae; the Geck delegate is trapped in the wall. Qven, who has the ability to open doors that nobody else can see, opens a door that leads to an apparently circular loop of hallway. After some exploration, Reet and Qven realize that the loop is actually a spiral; after going around it enough times, they come to a new door, behind which they find Sphene and a human ambassador. Several loops later, behind another door, Qven and Reet find Ambassador Seimet and the woman who attacked Dlar. She is unconscious, having lost an arm when the room got divided. Enae realizes that the Geck ambassador in the wall is still communicating, albeit very quietly. The Geck ambassador asks to speak to Qven. To find Qven, Enae and Sphene go the other way around the spiral. They reach its end, where there is gravity, and get trapped with the bleeding body of Translator Dlar. Qven reaches the Geck ambassador in the first room, while Reet keeps going up the spiral to see what he can find. At its end, he finds a wall with blood seeping through; one of Dlar’s bodies is on the other side.

Translator Dlar’s other body tells Qven to match with the Geck ambassador in the wall, which will allow Dlar to explain to Qven what to do to resolve the situation. Qven is reluctant: The match might kill em, and e would like to match with Reet. Just as Qven feels e has no choice, Reet arrives at the last second and stops Qven—Reet knows where Dlar’s other body is.

At the other end of the hallway, Enae and Sphene try to find a way out. Enae realizes that Dlar’s blood is seeping through the floor and wonders if they could pry up the floor to escape. Before they do, Qven opens a door in the floor, rescuing them. The room returns to normal. The committee rules that Reet and Qven are human, against Seimet’s wishes. After a brief mishap with Hikipi militants, Reet and Qven match. They end up with two bodies and a shared consciousness. Happy, they decide to live in the autonomous AI republic. Enae returns home.