To mark the 35th anniversary of the journal TTR, the conference “Redefining translation? Historical fluctuations, new practices, and epistemologies in the making” will bring together established and emerging scholars to address themes related to translation (including interpretation), terminology, and writing. Translation, together with terminology and professional writing, constitutes a complex set of practices, processes, and epistemologies that, no matter what they are called, (e.g., translation, adaptation, transfer, intertextuality, transformation), have always played a prominent role in civil society while also being used as tools of colonization and discrimination. Translation thus raises crucial ethical issues that call for serious reflection. Starting from the tripartite definitions of translation proposed by Roman Jakobson (1959) and Gideon Toury (1995), among others, this conference invites scholars to reflect on the (re)definitions of translation and interpretation and their ethical implications throughout history. The following questions can serve as points of departure: Does translation (along with interpretation) only involve transfer between languages, individuals, texts, communities or nation states? Or does it also concern any material, even biosemiotic, form of transfer that may or may not include interlingual exchange? Are translation and interpretation always synonymous with transfer? Can we move from a restricted to an enlarged view of translation while also ensuring that this field of knowledge retains its specificity and common foundations? If so, what would these be (see Nouss, 2012)? Is translation exclusive to human beings, that is to say, does it only take place between humans? What role does or should technology play in the translation process in light of the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and neural machine translation (NMT)? How do these changes affect human translation? What are the characteristics of the contemporary translating subject? To what extent can advances in AI and the ethical issues they raise enrich our analysis of the production of bilingual or multilingual content? Given the complex power dynamics that characterize the Anthropocene, what roles can translation and interpretation play in mediating and raising awareness of contemporary issues? Clearly, the mediating role that both translation and interpretation play, whether in community settings or times of crisis, is a pressing current issue. Insofar as translation can also be considered a cognitive act that precedes and facilitates communication despite differences, what cognitive theories can help us better understand translation and its practices? As an interpretative act, translation is a heuristic tool that has the potential to participate in the production and circulation of knowledge. How might this potential be achieved? This conference seeks to encourage dialogue on the important social role that translation plays in the formation and transformation of knowledge as well as in the movement and mediation of ideas. We welcome proposals focusing on historical fluctuations (e.g., definitions of translation), new practices (e.g., linguistic revitalization thanks to translation), and epistemologies (e.g., the science of translation, hermeneutics, the interpretive school, various sociologies of translation, and complexity theory) that have defined, still define, and will define translation in the broader sense going forward.
Deadline for submissions: 1 November 2023
For more information, click here
Call for Papers:Event: 2027 CIUTI ConferenceTheme: Racing the Machine or Reclaiming the Narrative: Human Agency in a Tech-Driven ProfessionDate: 20–21 May 2027 Venue: Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, BelgiumSubmissions are welcome on, but not limited to, the following themes:Historical, contemporary and future developments in machine translation technologiesThe implications of technological development for translation theoryTranslator training, curriculum design and pedagogical innovation in the age of AIQuality norms, evaluation frameworks and “fit-for-purpose” translationAccessibilityReconfigurations of professional identity (translator, post-editor, language specialist)Translation policy, governance and institutional responses to AI integrationIMPORTANT DATES29 January 2027 — Abstract submission deadline26 February 2027 — Notification of acceptance23 April 2027 — Registration deadline20–21 May 2027 — CIUTIBXL27 International Conference, Université libre de Bruxelles, BrusselsMore info: https://lnkd.in/p/dwWtJ3Ge
Call for Papers:Event: European Association for Machine Translation Conference (EAMT 2027)Date: 3-6 May 2027Place: BarcelonaIMPORTANT DATES:Paper submission deadline: 31/01/2027Rebuttal Period: 8-11/03/2027Notification to authors: 24/03/2027Submitted manuscripts should be in the following categories: Research: TechnicalTranslators and UsersImplementation and Case studiesProducts and ProjectsMore details: https://www.eamt2027.org/calls/
Call for Papers: Journal: Special Issue of Babel Translation as Participation: Rethinking Human Agency in the Platform Era Guest Editor: You Wu, East China Normal University Topics inluded: How does translation operate as a participatory practice in platformed cultural environments, and how are forms of agency in translation reshaped by fandom, affective investment and community norms under such conditions?How do platforms structure, incentivize, gamify and govern participatory translation practices (for instance, through gamified designs such as metrics, rankings, rewards and visibility mechanisms)?How are identities, forms of belonging and mediated publics constituted through participatory translation practices?How are core concepts such as authorship, responsibility and agency rethought under conditions of collective and distributed translation?How does participatory translation intersect with forms of digital labour, playbour and unpaid/underpaid cultural production?How do ethical tensions emerge from participatory translation practices shaped by platform logics? Submission and ReviewAll full manuscripts will be subject to rigorous double-blind peer review. Acceptance of an abstract does not guarantee acceptance of the full manuscript. Prospective contributors are invited to submit an abstract of approximately 300 words, together with a short bio-note, to the guest editor at [email protected]. Tentative Timeline• Abstract submission deadline: December 31, 2026 • Notification of abstract acceptance: February 28, 2027 • Full manuscript submission deadline: November 30, 2027 • Peer review and revisions: December 2027–May 2028• Expected publication: Mid to late 2028, subject to the journal’s production schedule
Call for papers:Event: International Symposium: (Re)thinking the Margins of Translation.Place: Universitat. Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona.Date: 20-21 May 2027About: This symposium invites scholars to explore how current transformations, emerging technology, and shifting power dynamics redefine the margins across the theory, history, sociology, and practice of translation.Key dates:Deadline for submissions: 20 January 2027Notification of acceptance: 12 February 2027Deadline for registration (no fees applied): 28 February 2027Symposium dates: 20-21 May 2027More detailshttps://www.upf.edu/web/traduccio/w/international-symposium-re-thinking-the-margins-of-translation:
Call for papers:Event: Translation, Space and Power: Reconfiguring the Geographies of Cultural Production.Place: University of TriesteDate: 26–28 April 2027Topics:Reconfiguring Space and Place in Translation− Translation in contact zones and multilingual urban environments.− The deterritorialization of language communities and the emergence of “translation spaces” (Simon, 2018).− Digital and “disembodied” formats (Littau, 2016) and their impact on translation’s spatial logics.− Translation practices straddling multiple geographical locations, e.g. institutional, legal, and news media translation.Translation, Power, and Diplomacy− Translation as a vehicle of soft power and cultural diplomacy: shaping images of nations, regions, and identities.− National and supranational translation policies shaping perceptions of space.− Historical dynamics of cultural and translation policiesFlows, Markets, and Networks− Mapping translation flows in global publishing and audiovisual markets.− Source-initiated and supply-driven translations and the translocal life of texts.Beyond Source–Target Dichotomies− Translation within communities that simultaneously act as source and target.− New trajectories of linguistic exchange in a post-globalized world.Abstract deadline: 15 October 2026More details: https://tsp2027.units.it/call-for-papers.html#ImportantDates
