Calls for papers

Machine Translation is here to stay. For many years, MT has seen advances in the quality of output, the number of users, language pair and domain coverage, as well as the number of enterprises investing in MT. MT is now an integral part of most CAT tools and post-editing is a de facto task required from language professionals in many domains. The introduction and wide-scale adoption of NMT has boosted this even more. Languages and domains that were not supported previously are now serious contenders for MT, at least for gisting, if not for more. As MT becomes more and more mainstream, an increasing number of people are interacting with it, for a variety of purposes, even beyond the commercial language industry. The 2020 AMTA conference is therefore an excellent moment in time to take stock of the nature of this interaction, the impact to date and the potential impact into the future. Deadline for submissions: 15 May 2020 For more information, click here

The aim of the conference is to create a forum for discussion and exchange of experiences for practitioners, teachers, translators, representatives of business and administration, theoreticians, researchers who specialize in specialist languages, business communication, international cooperation. The conference will be divided into three sections: didactics of specialist languages, translation of specialist texts, linguistic studies in the area of specialist languages and discourse. Deadline for submissions: 31 May 2020 For more information, click here

The Centre for Legal and Institutional Translation Studies (Transius) will hold its next international conference from 30 June to 2 July 2021 in collaboration with IAMLADP’s Universities Contact Group (UCG). The conference will provide a forum for dialogue between scholars and practitioners with a common interest in legal translation and institutional translation settings more generally. It illustrates the Centre’s commitment to fostering international cooperation and advocating translation quality in the field. The 2021 conference will combine keynote lectures, parallel paper presentations, a poster session and thematic roundtables, so that all participants, from high-level experts to translation trainees, can benefit from the exchange of experiences. Contributions on the following themes are welcome:  Problems, methods and competence in legal translation, including comparative legal analysis for translation Terminological issues in legal and institutional translation The use of corpora and computer tools for legal and institutional translation practice, training and research Sociological and ethical issues in legal and institutional translation Developments and implications of institutional policies of translation and multilingual drafting Thematic specialisation in institutional translation (technical, scientific, financial, etc.) Translation quality control, quality assurance and management practices in institutional settings Court translation and interpreting Legal and institutional translator training Deadline for submissions: 30 October 2020 For more information, click here

Translators, when not getting any press tend to get bad press, and the translation profession itself appears to be suffering an existential crisis (low play, status and uncertain future). However, this is not the full picture. The proposed issue intends to bring together practical applications of “translation plus”, where the translator (interpreter) is an essential collaborator working with (as much as for) the author, commissioner or any other actor in the process. We are looking for case studies, situations, where the translator (in the widest sense of the term) is not “just the translator”, and is listened to rather than simply ‘used’. For example, Romero Fresco (2013) introduced the idea of the audiovisual translator as an integral part of “universal design” in filmmaking and translation, while Jemielity talks of his experience as the translator becoming essential to corporate marketing strategy. In both cases, the translator’s particular skills add recognized value to the process and to the product. We would welcome contributions that focus on personal experience, or examples from history that may be generalized or used as a model for future translators. We particularly welcome proposals on collaborative translation addressing the following topics: How the status of the translator/interpreter has been re-evaluated to include higher autonomy decision making; When the interpreter is a facilitator, agent and how the ‘uncertainty zone’ has been reduced; How the principals of Universal Design are being extended to translation; In the audiovisual world, examples of ‘accessible’ film production Aspects of insider-outsider relationships and epistemic privilege; Approaches and models (e.g. participatory action research) suitable for investigating collaborative translation; How the profession as a whole can move forward with “the translator on the board”; How training has or should be modified to prepare students for these roles. Jemielity David (2019) “Translation and writing in a corporate environment: making it count in the C-suite” https://www.metmeetings.org/en/translation-and-writing-in-a-corporate-environment:1239 Romero-Fresco, Pablo (2013) “Accessible filmmaking: Joining the dots between audiovisual translation, accessibility and filmmaking”, Jostrans 20, 201:223. Deadline for abstracts: 30 May 2020 For more information, click here

The Łódź-ZHAW Duo Colloquium on Translation and Meaning is a successor to the internationally acclaimed event with the same concept, organised in Maastricht and Łódź from 1990 to 2015. The ZHAW session takes place from 3 to 5 September 2020 in Winterthur and approaches applied aspects of the theme Contextuality in Translation and Interpreting. Deadline for abstracts: 30 April 2020 For more information, click here

The 28 biennial ASAUK conference (8-10 September 2020) at Cardiff University will feature the thematic panel The concept of translation in Africa: challenging Translation and Interpreting Studies. The stream will provide a space where translation and interpreting studies scholars exploring the African context can meet and discuss their research, present their findings, interact and learn from each other. Additionally, the conference will be an opportunity to showcase current research in translation and interpreting studies in an interdisciplinary context. The stream aims at placing TIS research in the wider African Studies sphere. Deadline for submissions: 22 March 2020 For more information, click here

This issue is intended to be a self-reflexive research work that looks back and forward upon corpus-based translation studies (CTS). Similarly to other publications in the field (e.g. Laviosa 1998; Laviosa 2002; Olohan 2004; Kruger et al. 2011), looking back brings us to at least 1993, when Mona Baker (1993: 235) officially envisaged a turning point in the history of the discipline. Baker was not the first person to undertake corpus-based research (see, for example, Gellerstam 1986; Lindquist 1989), but she was undoubtedly the scholar who most forcefully predicted what the future had in store. And her premonitions were realized in virtually no time. Research has grown exponentially from 1993 onwards in the very aspects Baker had anticipated (corpora, methods and tools). We believe it is time we pause and reflect (critically) upon our research domain. And we want to do so in what we see is a relatively innovative way: by importing Taylor & Marchi’s (2018) spirit from corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS) into CTS. Like them, we want to place our emphasis precisely on the faulty areas within our studies. We aim to deal with the issues we have left undone; or those we have neglected. In short, and drawing on Taylor & Marchi’s (2008) work, we propose to devote this volume to revisiting our own partiality and cleaning some of our dustiest corners. Regarding partiality, Taylor & Marchi (2018: 8) argue that “[u]nderstandably, most people just get on with the task of doing their research rather than discussing what didn’t work and how they balanced it.” Going back to our previous research, identifying some of its pitfalls, and having another go at what did not work is a second chance we believe we deserve. Looking at our object of study from different viewpoints or within new joined efforts, plunging into (relatively) new practices, such as CTS triangulation (see Malamatidou 2017), may be one of the ways in which we can now contribute to going back to post-modernity; and do things differently. As to dusty corners (“both the neglected aspects of analysis and under-researched topics and text types”, Taylor & Marchi 2018: 9), like Taylor (2018) we need further work on (translated) absence; similarities (as well as differences); silent voices, non-dominant languages, amongst many other concerns. The present CFP, then, is interested in theoretical, descriptive, applied and critical papers (from CTS and external fields) that make a contribution to tackling CTS partiality and dusty spots of any kind. We particularly (but not only) welcome papers including: critical evaluation of one’s own work awareness of (old/new) research design issues use of new protocols and tools to examine corpora identification of areas where accountability is required and methods to guarantee accountability cases of triangulation of all kinds studies of absences in originals and/or translations studies of new voices, minoritised (and non-named) languages, multimodal texts, etc. pro-active proposals to bring CTS forward Deadline for submissions: 31 May 2020 For more information, click here

Conference in Lisbon, 18 - 20 June 2020. Call extended to 31st March https://picbookseducation.wordpress.com/

Deadline for submissions approaching: Following the 1st International Conference on Intersemiotic Translation, held in November 2017 at the University of Cyprus, this conference aims to address the theoretical and practical challenges that the shift away from the logocentric to increasingly intersemiotic, intermedial and transmedial culture poses for the relevant fields, which are consequently forced to reexamine their concepts, methods as well as objects of study. Concurrently with the developments that have led many disciplines (translation studies, adaptation studies, intermediality studies, semiotics, among others) to look at processes and products that cross media borders, we have also witnessed the appearance of a plethora of concepts describing such phenomena: from rewritings and refractions to intermedial translations, adaptations and appropriations to remediations, transmediations, transformations, transcreations, and (medial) transgressions, to name but a few. All these terms acknowledge the radical transformations that can occur when texts produce offshoots that transgress the borders of the language, genre, medium or platform of the original text. Recognizing that all terms have their different backgrounds and sometimes conflicting usages, this conference has chosen as one of its key terms the notion of ‘transmedia’ – not necessarily in any one of its specialised senses as used, for instance, by Henry Jenkins in the context of transmedia storytelling or by Peeter Torop and Maarja Ojamaa, who regard transmediality as the complex interrelations between texts in the mental space of culture – but rather as an umbrella term. We foreground ‘transmedia’– with its prefix trans- meaning ‘across’, ‘beyond’, ‘through’ – as a marker to highlight the ubiquitous processes and phenomena of media crossovers that share some common features (such as fictional world, character, plot). It is our understanding that with such high concentration of transmedial practices and concepts currently underway in culture and in academia, the time is ripe to see this as a general ‘turn’ not to be ignored. Although related to the ‘technological turn’ of the 2000s in translation studies as described by Michael Cronin, the ‘transmedial turn’ goes beyond the technological one: while the latter is defined by the changes in technology, the term ‘transmediality’ foregrounds a major operational logic of culture that has become especially explicit in this era of new media developments. At the same time, the notion of transmediality can shed light and contribute to the study of the respective practices of the past prior to the more recent technological changes. The aim of this conference is to look at the various transmedial practices historically and in comparison with the changes that have taken place during the last decades as a result of an explosive surge in intermedial and transmedial practices. The discussion will seek to investigate potential ways to account for these changes theoretically and map the implications they might have on the level of practice. The conference intends to bring together scholars from various disciplines, which over the recent years have moved extensively beyond their traditional borders in terms of both their study objects and their approaches. We hope that such a joint effort will offer valuable insights to the conceptualisations of transmedial practices across different cultural contexts at different points in time and bridge theoretical as well as methodological gaps. We would like to open up the discussion on the following: - The movement of texts across different times and different media: from intertextuality to intermediality, from intermediality to transmediality;  - The analysis and mapping of transmedial processes and products; - Transmedial practices in translation and adaptation history; - Theoretical models and methods to account for transmedial phenomena across disciplines; - The potential to find common ground on terminology in media-centred discourses across disciplines; - The concepts of ‘translation’ and ‘adaptation’ revisited in the framework of transmediality; - Translators, adaptors, refractors: the network of agents involved in the production of transmedia; - Transmedial entanglements of literature, theatre, film etc. and their influence on the conceptualisation and practice of translation and adaptation; - Changes in the distinction between professional/non-professional and individual/ collective in transmedial practices; - Power relations and ethics in transmedial practices.   1 March 2020: Deadline for presentation proposals -> DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 15 March The contact email for any further information is transmedia@ut.ee For more information, click here

Within a heritage context, interpretation is understood as ‘an educational activity which aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original objects, by first-hand experience, and by illustrative media, rather than simply to communicate factual information’ (Tilden 1957, p.8). As such, heritage interpretation is geared towards engaging a diverse range of visitors on a cognitive and emotional level in ways that enhance their experience of a given site, whether built or natural. And yet, despite a shared interest in questions of meaning-making, multimodality, and communication across time and across different target groups, dialogue between Heritage Studies and Translation & Interpreting Studies has been surprisingly limited. Research into interlingual and intersemiotic museum translation has been burgeoning in recent years, alongside work on museum accessibility through sign language interpreting, audio description and subtitling. But there remains much potential to strengthen, expand and better coordinate these interdisciplinary points of contact. Similarly, there has been little opportunity for professionals and stakeholders working in and with heritage, translation, interpreting and accessibility to have a multilateral conversation about their respective challenges and visions for the future. The aim of this conference is thus to bring together researchers, practitioners, policy makers and other interested parties, and facilitate a meaningful exploration of heritage translation, in all its forms. In particular, we seek to gain a fuller understanding of how and to what (pedagogical, ideological etc.) effect heritage is mediated, where are the gaps in knowledge and practice around heritage translation commissioning and evaluation, and what are the priorities for future research and training.  We welcome 20 min papers that address issues of heritage translation (understood broadly) from theoretical, empirical, exploratory and/or practical perspectives.  Deadline for submissions: 27 March 2020 For more information, click here

In commercial contexts, mainstream localization decisions have traditionally targeted markets where a short-term return on investment will offset the localization costs (Exton et al. 2010, 81), whereas, in contexts where social, cultural, or political motivations are more important than the commercial return on investment, localization decisions may instead prioritize the dissemination of information as widely as possible, or specifically to those without access to the knowledge (Ibid; Anastasiou and Schäler 2010). More recently, the term localization has come into use by international aid organizations for their humanitarian practice to refer to the deployment of local resources such as local agents and local response models (Folaron 2019, 204). With such a wide range of contexts in which localization concepts are applied and decisions are made, it seems timely to call for papers examining localization practices around the world across different sectors.  This special issue of the Journal of Internationalization and Localization (JIAL) therefore aims to bring into cognisance previously less recognised locale-specific issues, emerging trends or research projects (including publicly funded research programmes and PhD research) as well as types of localization undertaken and localization tools used or under development. We are particularly interested in localization in linguistic, social and cultural contexts from regions that have been under-represented in the journal thus far, such as Africa, Middle East, South and South East Asia, Australasia, Eastern Europe, and South and Central America, encompassing minority and indigenous languages. The suggested topics include, but are not limited to: -Socio-political and ideological issues in localization decision-making -Localization strategies used by different industry groups or humanitarian organizations -Localization involving minority or indigenous languages -Emerging trends in shaping localization processes and tools -Machine learning and AI applications in localization -Non-professional translation in localization To help bridge the gap between localization practice and theory representing different regions of the world, we invite both industry professionals and scholars working in academia to submit unpublished, original 6,000-8,000-word articles. Given the quickly changing industry, the special issue will be published expediently, in late 2020, as a double issue: Volume 7, Issues 1 and 2.   Submission deadlines:  Abstracts (500 words): March 15, 2020 Notification to authors: March 31, 2020 Full papers: June 1, 2020 Revised papers due (following peer review): August 15, 2020 Publication: December 2020 Inquiries and abstracts should be addressed to the journal’s co-editors: Minako O’Hagan (University of Auckland, New Zealand) minako.ohagan@auckland.ac.nzJulie McDonough Dolmaya (York University, Canada) dolmaya@glendon.yorku.caReferences: Anastasiou, Dimitra, and Reinhard Schäler. n.d. “Translating Vital Information: Localisation, Internationalisation, Globalisation.” Syn-Thèses 3: 11–25. Exton, Chris, Asanka Wasala, Jim Buckley, and Reinhard Schäler. 2010. “Micro Crowdsourcing: A New Model for Software Localization.” Localisation Focus 8 (1): 81–89. Folaron, Debbie. 2019. “Technology, Technical Translation and Localization” in O’Hagan, M (ed) The  Routledge Handbook of Translation and Technology. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 203-219   https://benjamins.com/series/jial/callforpapers.pdf

The Graduate Student Conference on Translation Studies serves as a forum that exhibits the robust relationship between translation studies and other academic disciplines and professional fields. This conference brings together graduate students and early-career postdoctoral researchers united by a common interest in translation and interpreting. This year, we welcome abstracts and panel proposals related to the topics of ethics and justice, pertaining to any subfield of translation and interpreting studies, including literary, technical, and legal translation; theory and practice of interpretation; translation history; and translation and interpreting technology. Possible themes include (but are not limited to): interpretation and migrant justice; the ethics and ideological implications of translation choices (both in terms of what we translate and how we go about it); translation as activism; translators’ and interpreters’ agency; community interpretation, family interpretation, and other pro bono modes of interpreting; ethics of medical interpreting; ethical and economic impact of machine translation; corporate translation and accountability; considerations relating to subjectivity, cultural difference, and collective identity; translation pedagogy; access to translation and interpreting services; politics of literary translation; publishing and visibility; gendered disparities in the profession; and so forth. We welcome comparative studies, case studies, corpus studies, argumentative essays, and any other methodology relevant to translation and interpreting studies. Deadline for submissions: 1 February 2020 For more information, click here