Just before the turn of the 21st century, Mikhail Epstein called for a return of the human into the humanities, proposing a Bakhtinian turn from the paradigms of the 20th century, which ascribed “the source of our activity to some non-human, impersonal structures speaking through us” (1999; 113), to a rehumanisation which would help us reappropriate the “alienated sources of our activity and understand them as an indispensable otherness inherent in the nature of human self-awareness” (113). The vision of such humanity-centred research would incorporate the knowledge gained from such systems of thought as psychoanalysis, semiotics and (post)structuralism, while also attempting to transgress the structural determination of action. The kind of rehumanisation translation and interpreting studies now seeks is not a return to a self-endorsing anthropocentrism, but an approach which would make the human agency in translation and interpreting visible as an active force with the potential to shape the social and natural world.
The challenges of globalisation cannot be reduced to debates about the future of translation and interpreting, but this unprecedented movement of people and ideas requires an urgent response from our community, and our particular ability to connect cultures and carry over thoughts and ideas.
The conference strives to bring together scholars from various fields of translation and interpreting studies to share their perspectives on the human factor in their studies. We believe that the human factor in translation technology, literary translation, audiovisual translation, technical translation, conference interpreting, community interpreting and in the education of future translators and interpreters is fundamental. That is why we are asking scholars from around the world to share their experiences. We will pay particular attention to the sociological factors of these professions and the role of “theory” in improving translators’ visibility and social standing. When talking about translators, we refer to “people with flesh-and-blood bodies. If you prick them, they bleed” (Pym, 2014, p. 161). We want to talk about translators and interpreters not as if they were “linguistic machines”, but as they are: human beings. We are also interested in the effects of non-translation, such as the lack of (mainly) community interpreters and the problems it poses for the integration of people seeking refuge. We would like to hear well-structured, data-based presentations, but also sound case and qualitative studies. Together, we will take a closer look at how the human factor (institutional or personal) affects translation and interpreting.
Perspectives from which to address the conference topic may include, but are not limited to:
Deadline for submissions: 30 September 2020
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Call for PapersThis is a Call for papers to be submitted to the transLogos Translation Studies Journal, Vo. 9, Issue 1 (June 2026).This issue addresses a wide range of topics, including Translation Theory, Translation Criticism, History of Translation and Translation Studies, Applied Translation, Machine Translation, Computer Technologies in Translation, Translator Training, Technical Writing, as well as interdisciplinary issues in Translation Studies.You can submit your articles to translogos@diye.com.tr. Submission deadline: April 20, 2026.More details: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/translogos/page/6185
Call for Papers:This is a Call to submit abstracts to a Special Issue of the Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts journal on Making Multilingualism Visible: Visual Methods in Translanguaging and Translation Pedagogies.Editors: Vander Tavares, Ge Song, Liang Cao, and Angel M. Y. Lin.Topics:Visual and multimodal research methodsArts-based and participatory approachesMultilingual identities and repertoiresMultimodal and creative pedagogiesVisual ethnography and digital storytellingMethodological and ethical reflectionsSubmission deadline: May 15, 2026. More details: https://benjamins.com/series/ttmc/callforpapers.pdf
Call for Papers: This is a Call for a conference on 'Who is Responsible for the Archives? An Interdisciplinary Approach to Ethics in a Digital Age'Aston University in Birmingham, UK (and online).Friday 26 June 2026.Themes:Ethics as resilience and environmental sustainabilityEthics as a moral and philosophical issueEthics as a form of social justiceSubmission deadline: 13 April 2026 to AUACConference2026@aston.ac.ukMore information: https://padlet.com/dturner2_23/aston-university-archives-centre-auac-ugu5rgn68k5u52av/wish/Ae2Ravo86dYYQnz4
Call for Papers:This is a Call to submit papers to the 2nd International Conference on Field Research on Translation and Interpreting 2027 (FIRE-T1 2).Tampere University, 3–5 March 2027.Themes and topics:workplace communication, social and socio-technical interaction, coordination, and collaborationmultimodality in T&I practices, processes, and productsthe role of the body, (cognitive) artifacts, and cultural practices in T&I(changing) dynamics of contemporary workplaces; hybridisation of practices and tasks in workplace environments; paraprofessional T&I practicesempirical and conceptual contributions grounded in situated cognitive perspectives such as distributed, extended, embodied, enacted, embedded, and affective cognitionempirical and conceptual contributions grounded in sociological perspectives, e.g., affect and emotions in T&I, practice theory, professional roles and (self-)images, professionals’ agencyapplications and discussions of (micro-)ethnographic and/or ethnomethodological approaches (such as conversation/multimodal interaction analysis) in field research on T&Iinnovative and/or synergetic theoretical and methodological approaches and frameworksthe use of (new) technologies in T&I practicesSubmission deadline: 31 August 2026.More details: https://events.tuni.fi/fireti2027/call-for-papers/
Call for Papers:This is a Call for submitting papers to the 2nd EATPA Symposium on East Asian Translation Pedagogy.Venue and date: University of Toronto, 18-19 June 2027Themes: AI technology and translation pedagogy (navigating across the human-tech divide)Fiction and non-fiction texts in translator training (satisfying industry needs?)Inter-institutional collaboration in translation pedagogy (e.g.: COIL)Language proficiencies for translation classrooms (e.g. are minimum levels required?)Translation feedback & evaluation criteria (e.g. how do we and how should we grade?)Multilingual translation classrooms (a boon for collaborative translation practice?)Multimodal texts and translating beyond words (e.g.: art-spaces and heritage sites)Political ideology and translation pedagogy (e.g. polarisation in cross-linguistic settings)Theory and practice in translator training (e.g. how to effectively connect the two)Abstract submission deadline: 30 September 2026More details: https://easiantpa.leeds.ac.uk/2nd-eatpa-symposium-on-east-asian-translation-pedagogy/
