Calls for papers

In a world that seems continuously to be stretching the line of what is acceptable to the inhabitants of specific linguistic and cultural contexts, this interdisciplinary conference acknowledges the importance of investigating taboos and their reinforcement/breaking in various areas of language, culture, literature and society, and across different cultures. We propose to explore the delicate balance and subtle boundaries between the need for inclusion and respect for different ethnic, religious, sexual backgrounds – which seem to be at the basis of modern multicultural societies – and a conscious (or unconscious) push towards the breaking of existing taboos, for example for shock value, as in the case of comedy and art. In such contexts, investigation of the linguistic, cultural, social, institutional and personal implications of taboo reinforcement/breaking appears of extreme value. For its 5th edition, the Taboo Conference series will specifically address the intricacies of taboo in language, culture, literature and communication in its various occurrences from the points of view of production, performance, and perception/reception. The subject of taboo in language, culture, literature and communication seems to have become especially relevant in the last few years, in which political correctness at both the institutional and individual level has been seen, on the one hand, as a crucial tool in protecting people from verbal abuse and in preventing the reinforcement of stereotypes and, on the other, as a set of measures and a way of thinking which significantly curtail free speech in many aspects of the public sphere. The 2020 conference seeks to explore the shifting boundaries of the acceptability of taboo in their various incarnations as produced and perceived in today’s multicultural society, from cinema and television, to news, videogames, literature and different kinds of online content. The study of taboo in the past, for example through the medium of literature, is also relevant to the conference. Possible areas of inquiry include, but are not limited to, political orientations and political satire, identity and gender politics, ethnic stereotypes, different kinds of non-normative behaviour, political correctness and the discourse surrounding it, and the debate between real and perceived offense through comedy. Deadline for submissions: 10th February 2020 For more information, click here

Gender and Transnational Reception. Mapping the Translation, Circulation and Recognition of Women's Writings in the 20th and 21st Centuries. Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU Organisers: Dr Alberica Bazzoni (University of Warwick) and Dr Caterina Paoli (University of Warwick) Abstract Proposal Deadline: 20 December 2019 Conference: 25-26 September 2020 Organised in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Women’s Writing (CCWW) and partially funded by the British Academy, this two-day conference aims at exploring the transnational reception of 20th- and 21st-century literary texts by women (where “woman” is understood beyond cis-normative categories). How are processes of literary reception and consecration gendered and transnationalised? How do transnational networks support the circulation of texts by women? What are the processes that intervene in the recognition or misrecognition of their artistic value, in their own country and abroad? Gender still plays a crucial role in the ways in which a work of art circulates and is received, as the construction and recognition of artistic value is deeply influenced by social structures and the hierarchies that permeates them. On the other hand, the transnational dimension of feminist struggles and thought fosters the circulation of works by women beyond their country of origin, so that they often meet popular success in other countries – the cases of Nicaraguan Gioconda Belli, Nigerian Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Italian Elena Ferrante, for example, are paradigmatic in this sense. Furthermore, since the second half of the 19th century, feminist networks of translators, publishers and intellectuals have worked tirelessly to promote and enable the circulation of works by women. This conference aims at investigating the gendered promotion and reception of works by women on a transnational level. For more information, click here

Potential topics include but are not restricted to: - rethinking basic concepts of Translation Studies through the lens of indirect translation (e.g., source text and target text, author and translator, original and translation, center and periphery, equivalence, direct translation) - core features or patterns of indirect translation verifiable across different translation domains (e.g., audiovisual, machine, specialized translation; community interpreting, audio-description, localization, transcreation, transediting) - indirect translation in other fields and disciplines (e.g., adaptation studies, forensic linguistics, gender studies, development studies, multilingual studies, international business studies, etc.) - indirect translation and hot topics in Translation Studies (e.g., social media, big data, multilingual crisis communication, etc.). Deadline for submissions: 30 Nov 2019 For more information, click here

We are pleased to invite translation scholars and researchers worldwide to contribute research papers to an edited volume, titled Translation and Interpreting as a Set of Frames: Ideology, Power, Discourse, Identity & Representation The proposed volume, which has been accepted by Routledge, will be considered for publication as an edited book in 'Routledge Studies in Language and Identity'. Interested contributors are requested to submit to the volume editors Ali Almanna: alialmanna9@gmail.com Chonglong Gu: chonglong.gu@liverpool.ac.uk The initial abstract submission should include the article title, abstract and brief bio sketch of the author(s) (31st December 2019 the latest). Once the abstract is accepted by the editors, the first draft of the chapter (approx. 7000 words) should be due by 1st April 2020. These chapters will be then peer reviewed before submitting to the publisher. Aim: Translation and interpreting can be conceptualised as a set of frames, where different versions of fact, truth and reality are reflected, enacted, mediated, (re)constructed, (re)framed, (re)narrated and even manipulated and contested in the process. Notably, as major agents in the interlingual and intercultural communication process, translators and interpreters are often not ideologically neutral but might mediate in the process and effect change possibly on a greater scale regionally and globally (given the increasingly interconnected and mediatised world we are living in in the 21st century). This points to the great relevance and imperative to conceptualise the translation and interpreting product as essentially a kind of discourse and look at translation and interpreting as a mediated activity that is closely related with issues of ideology, power, agency, identity and representation, beyond the traditional source text-oriented lenses that for example focus on ‘equivalence’ or ‘accuracy’ merely on a linguistic level. This eclectic volume aims to address the topic relating to ideology, power, discourse, identity and representation and welcomes submissions involving different language combinations and from a wide range of sociopolitical, cultural and institutional contexts. Potential submissions can be from various theoretical perspectives and draw on different methodological approaches. Some of the relevant topics might include but are not limited to the following (theoretical insights and methodologies): · Translation/interpreting and (critical) discourse analysis · Translation/interpreting and narrative theory · Translation/interpreting and Systemic Functional Linguistics · Translation/interpreting and corpus linguistics · Corpus-based critical discourse analysis · Translation, interpreting and Bourdieu's theory   More specific topics might include but are not limited to the following: · The (re)presentation of various sociopolitical actors in translation and interpreting · Interpreter and translator's agency and ideology mediation · The (re)narration of (different) versions of fact, truth and reality (e.g. news and social media) · The discursive (re)construction of Self versus Other and Us versus Them in translation and interpreting · The discursive enactment of identity (e.g. national identity and group identities) in translation and interpreting · Translation and interpreting as means of subjugation and/or resistance · Translation/interpreting, power, international relations and global order · ‘Critical points’ in translation and interpreting · Diplomatic and political translation and interpreting · Translation and social media (e.g. twitter, Facebook and Instagram) · Translation and interpreting in war zones and conflict areas · Translation as (re)writing · Image (re)construction · Issues of power, ideology and mediation in various historical periods and diachronically

7th International Conference on Public Services Interpreting and Translation: The Human Factor in PSIT, 26 - 27 March 2020, University of Alcalá. Proposals are encouraged to focus on PSIT and to specially apply to any of the following areas of study: • PSIT and its relationship with the socio-political and economic environment • Intercultural and interlinguistic mediation • Multiculturalism and multilingualism • Linguistic resources and migrant population in the European Union • Technological advances in PSIT • Curriculum design and training in PSIT in humanitarian settings • T & I in/with indigenous language/lesser used languages • Language policies in African communities • PSIT as a tool/strategy/way to favor inclusion in society   Deadline for proposals: 17 December 2019   For more information, click here  

The video game industry has become a worldwide phenomenon, generating millions in revenue every year. Video games are increasingly becoming more elaborate and sophisticated, with advanced graphics and intricate story lines, and developers and publishers need to reach the widest possible audience in order to maximise their return on investment. Translating games into other languages and designing games that can be played for a wide spectrum of players, regardless of their (dis)ability, are two obvious ways to contribute to increasing the audience for the game industry. In addition, games are increasingly being used for “serious” purposes beyond entertainment, such as education, and such games should also be designed inclusively, to facilitate access to them by all types of players. Research on game translation and localization and accessibility has been gaining momentum in recent years. In particular, and the number of studies analysing game translation and localisation from different perspectives has increased dramatically, while game accessibility remains a relatively unexplored topic. The Fun for All: 6th International Conference on Game Translation and Accessibility aims to bring together professionals, scholars, practitioners and other interested parties to explore game localisation and accessibility in theory and practice, to discuss the linguistic and cultural dimensions of game localisation, to investigate the relevance and application of translation theory for this very specific and rapidly expanding translational genre, and to analyse the challenges game accessibility poses to the industry and how to overcome them. The successful previous editions of the Fun for All: International Conference on Translation and Accessibility in Video Games, held at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 have become a meeting point for academic and professionals working in the game industry and the game localisation industry, as well as students and translators interested in this field The sixth edition of the Fun for All Conference, in collaboration with the Researching Audio Description project, financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PGC2018-096566-B-I00, MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE), aims to continue fostering the interdisciplinary debate in these fields, to consolidate them as academic areas of research and to contribute to the development of best practices. Deadline for submissions: 31 December 2019 For more information, click here

Bernard Shaw was perhaps the first playwright who truly became an international figure. His plays have been performed in every country imaginable; his works, translated to dozens of languages. In addition, his ideas have influenced the most disparate authors on a global scale. To this attests his correspondence with some of the leading luminaries of the continent as well as the media attention he received from Amsterdam to Zagreb. Bernard Shaw, the man and the persona, knew no borders, and nowhere is this more so than in Europe. Some of his plays premiered in German translation years before they could be staged in the West End. At the peak of his career, Saint Joan, to cite but one example, was translated and produced in every major European capital within a year of its publication. The International Shaw Conference—“Shaw in Europe” is intended as a forum for scholars who study Shaw’s reception in Europe and the ramifications of his works and ideas on the continent. The Organizing Committee welcomes papers on any of the following topics: • Shaw productions in European countries • Translations of Shaw plays and other works into European languages • The reception of Shaw’s works and ideas in Europe • Shaw’s influence on European authors • Shaw and his views on European history and politics • Shaw plays that have specific European connections: Bulgaria and Arms and the Man; France and Saint Joan; Spain and Man and Superman; Russia and Great Catherine / Annajanska; Ireland and John Bull’s Other Island, etc. Proposals for themed panels and roundtables are also welcome, especially those covering Shaw in specific countries and/or languages (in the case of translation). Deadline for proposals: 17 February 2020 For more information, click here

It is widely accepted that translators and interpreters do not work in isolation but “in a wider social context, interacting with other agents and with information technology” (Shih 2017: 50; See also Wang & Wang 2019). As in any effective social interaction, three components underpin translators and interpreters’ daily activities. They are: affect, behaviour and cognition (Spooner 1989). Cognition is defined as ‘the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses’ (Oxford Dictionary 2019). In translation and interpreting, this often refers to the mental procedure of how translators and interpreters acquire and store information, and consequently plan and execute translation and interpreting activities, often under the constraints of limited resources and situational contexts. With an accumulation of these ongoing mental processing throughout translators and interpreters’ experience and career, perception, schemata and understanding are gradually developed, which consequently guide their behaviours. Whist often overlooked, affect, which refers to translators’ and interpreters’ emotion and feeling, is tightly interwoven into the fabrics of translation and interpreters’ cognition and behaviour. To understand the entirety and complexity of translation and interpreting as social interaction, it is important to explore the interplay between translators’ and interpreters’ affect, behaviour and cognition, be it from the theoretical, empirical or methodological perspectives.This symposium welcomes contributions related to the following themes (although not limited to): Themes: - Interdisciplinary studies in translation and interpreting- Eye tracking in translation and interpreting studies- Human and computer interaction for translators and interpreters- Translation and the Web- Emotions in Translation and interpreting- Ideologies in translation and interpreting- Technology in translation and interpreting- Ecological approach to translation and interpreting- Ergonomical approach to translation and interpreting- Neurological approach to translation and interpreting- Pedagogy for translation and interpreting- Professional issues in translation and interpreting- Innovation in research methodologies Deadline for submissions: 31 March 2020 For more information, see here

The forthcoming International Conference ‘New Trends in Translation and Technology’ (NeTTT’2020) will take place on the island of Rhodes, Greece, 28-30 September 2020. The objective of the conference is to bring together academics in linguistics, translation studies, machine translation and natural language processing, as well as developers, practitioners, language service providers and vendors who work on or are interested in different aspects of technology for translation. The conference will be a distinctive and interdisciplinary event for discussing the latest developments and practices in translation technology. NeTTT’2020 invites all professionals who would like to learn about recent trends, present their latest work, and/or share their experiences in the field. The conference will also be an ideal place to establish business and research contacts, collaborations and new ventures. The conference will take the form of presentations (peer-reviewed research and user presentations, keynote speeches), demos (demos from sponsors) and posters; it will also feature panel discussions and tutorials/workshops. The presentations will be published as open-access conference e-proceedings. Deadline for submissions: 30 April 2020 For more information, click here

CALL FOR PAPERS: Special issue on Translation under DictatorshipsSubmissions are invited for a special issue of the electronic journal, Translation Matters, on the subject of Translation under Dictatorships, and seeks to attract specialists who will make a serious contribution to scholarship in the field.While it is expected that many of the submissions will be concerned with translation under the Portuguese Estado Novo, the Call is by no means restricted to this reality. We are also interested in general or theoretical reflections about translation under censorship conditions, as well as individual case studies from different geographical and temporal contexts.Articles, in English or in Portuguese, should be 6000-8000 words in length, including references and footnotes, and be formatted in accordance with the guidelines given on the journal’s website. Papers should be uploaded onto the site by 28th February 2020. http://ojs.letras.up.pt/index.php/tm/user.

The International Conference on Field Research on Translation and Interpreting: Practices, Processes, Networks (FIRE-TI) will be held at the Centre for Translation Studies in Vienna from 18 to 20 February 2021. The aim of the conference is to bring together researchers who study translation and interpreting (T&I) practices, processes or networks in situ using a variety of different (inter)disciplinary approaches, e. g. from sociological, cognitive, anthropological or ergonomic perspectives. The primary objective thereby is to create a common reflection space for T&I field and workplace research where experts can share insights into the diversity and complexity of translation and interpreting practices. In doing so, the conference also seeks to bring to the fore those particular aspects that are hard to reconstruct through product analyses or in a laboratory setting. Further information can be found on the conference website: https://fireti.univie.ac.at/  Call for Papers: https://fireti.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/k-fireti/Call_for_Papers_FIRE-TI_2021.pdf Submissions of papers by 12 July 2020

It is our belief that the broadening of the notion of text has largely come about thanks to contributions from semiotic studies, according to a movement that has brought translation studies closer to semiotics. The relevancy of general sign studies to translation theory and practice has helped translation studies to move away from the verbo-centric dogmatism of the sixties and seventies when only systems ruled by double articulation were recognized the dignity of language (Eco, 1976). As Torop (2014) argues, “text is what we understand in culture and it is through the text that we understand something of culture”. Thanks to our primary modelling system or language (“language as modelling” which conditions communication and translation through the great multiplicity of different verbal and nonverbal “languages” with which human beings enter into contact with each other, signify, interpret, and respond to each other), understanding in culture occurs through texts of the semiotic order, verbal and nonverbal texts, multimodal texts, in the unending chain of responses among texts, engendered in the relation among speakers and listeners, readers and writers. Texts are created, interpreted and re-created in dialogic relations among participants in communication. Their sense and meaning is modeled, developed and amplified through the processes of transmutation ensuing from and at once promoting the cultural spaces of encounter. Torop (2014) argues that the text is located in a wide intersemiotic space, and that the analysis of a text demands investigation of its creation, construction, and reception: the text is a process in intersemiotic space. If we accept Marais’ (2018) argument that all socio-cultural phenomena have a translation dimension, it is difficult to disagree with Gentzler’s (2001) observation that translation theory can quickly enmesh the researcher in the entire intersemiotic network of language and culture, one touching on all disciplines and discourses. Nor could it be otherwise if we consider that the material of language and culture is sign material and that the sign as such is in translation. This means to say that to be this sign here the sign must be other, to be this text here the text must be other. The signifying specificity of a text develops in translational processes among signs and interpretants, utterers and listeners, writers and readers, across semiosic spheres and disciplines, across intersemiotic, or transemiotic spaces in the signifying universe, verbal and nonverbal. The notion of text has evolved significantly thanks to contributions not only from the Tartu-Moscow School of Semiotics but also from the French School, with important implications for the question of translatability, a fundamental property and specific characteristic of all semiotic systems – as stated, the “sign is in translation”. It ensues that translatability subtends the semantic process (Greimas & Courtés 1993), and with Charles Morris (1938) interpreted by Ferruccio Rossi-Landi (1954, 1975, 1992), we know that meaning not only concerns the semantic dimension of semiosis, but also the syntactical and the pragmatic dimensions. With reference to interlingual translation, as Petrilli (2003) claims, translatability indicates an open relation between a text in the original and its translation. In this volume of Punctum, we will investigate this open relation. Contributions (case studies or theoretical articles) are welcome in one or more of the axes below: • intersemiotic translation, translation by illustration • adaptation, transposition, transduction, recreation • intericonicity in intersemiotic and in art studies • translation in auto-communication, cognition and perception • multimodal and intermedial translation • cultural translation, anthropological translation • (bio)semiotic approaches Prospective authors should submit an abstract of approximately 300 words by mail to the guest editors, Drs. Evangelos Kourdis (ekourdis@frl.auth.gr) and Susan Petrilli (susan.petrilli@gmail.com), including their affiliation and contact information. Acceptance of the abstract does not guarantee publication, given that all research articles will be subjected to the journal’s double peer review process. Timeline:Deadline for abstracts: December 15, 2019Notification of acceptance of the abstract: January 15, 2020Deadline for submission of full papers: April 30, 2020Reviewers’ report: June 15, 2020Final revised papers due: July 15, 2020Publication: Volume 6, Number 1 (July 2020)