Call for Contributions for an Edited Volume - Translating Chinese Internet Literature: Global Adaptation and Circulation
Publisher: Routledge
Series: Routledge Studies in Chinese Translation
Deadline for abstracts: 15 January 2024
Editors:
• Wenqian Zhang, University of Exeter, UK
• Sui He, Swansea University, UK
Chinese Internet literature (CIL), also known as Chinese online/web/network literature, refers to“Chinese-language writing, either in established literary genres or in innovative literary forms, writtenespecially for publication in an interactive online context and meant to be read on-screen” (Hockx 2015,4). While CIL is commonly equated with Chinese web-based genre fiction known for entertainmentvalue, it encompasses a broader range of genres such as poetry and comic strips, covering realisticthemes prevailing in serious literature (Inwood 2016; Feng 2021). CIL is born-digital, but it differsessentially from ‘electronic literature’ or ‘digital literature’ that originated in the West. While Westerne-literature is “more technology-oriented” (Duan 2018, 670) and usually involves “some sort ofcomputer programming or code” (Hockx 2015, 5–6), CIL is relatively less technologised andexperimental in format. In fact, what makes CIL stand out is its interactive features facilitated byprofessional literary platforms, its underlying profit motive, and mass participation in terms of literarywriting, reading and criticism (Hockx 2015).Over the past three decades, the proliferation of CIL has been fuelled by advancements in internettechnology and formulation of larger social media communities, alongside other key factors such aseconomic growth and the constantly changing ideological and political discourses in and outsidemainland China. One notable landmark in the trajectory of CIL is the implementation of a pay-per-readbusiness model by the literary website Qidian (起点 Starting Points) in 2003 – in this model, Qidiancharges readers for accessing serialised popular novels and their ‘VIP chapters’ (Hockx 2015, 110). Thisstep marks the beginning of the commodification of CIL. It reshapes the literary writing practices andauthor-reader/producer-consumer dynamics in Chinese cyberspace (Schleep 2015, Tian and Adorjan2016). Further developments along this line have enabled CIL to grow into a streamlined industry andmature ecosystem, with a vast number of popular titles being adapted into films, TV/web series, videogames and other types of media products, generating enormous economic value and revenue.
The influence of CIL has travelled across geographical and linguistic borders. Platforms such asWuxiaworld, Webnovel, Chapters and TapRead have made significant contributions to the disseminationof CIL to the global audience. In addition to translations published on authorised literary platforms, fantranslations spread within fan communities form a grey zone for less-regulated consumption of CILaround the world. To lower the cost and shorten the turnaround time of translating CIL, literaryplatforms have shifted their attention to AI-powered translation. For example, Webnovel has integratedLingoCloud (an AI-powered translation extension) into its website. Other practitioners in the industry,such as Funstory.ai Ltd. (推文科技 tuiwen keji), provide the service of “AI-assisted multilingualtranslation and processing, front cover design, booklist creating, book review collecting, chapter-by-chapter performance analysis and localisation” in order to promote online literature overseas(funstory.ai).To date, there has been an extensive body of research on CIL in literary, gender, platform and culturalstudies in a monolingual stance (e.g., Feng 2013; Shao 2016; Ouyang 2018), but only a handful ofscholarly articles delve specifically into its interlingual, intersemiotic and intercultural disseminationon the global stage (e.g., Cao 2021; Chang and Gao 2022; Chen 2023; Li 2021). To bridge this gap, thisvolume will be the first book in English that offers a critical examination of the translation, adaptationand circulation of CIL. As a timely addition to the scholarship on this topic, we aim to provide acontextual background and a framework for navigating the emerging subfield in the literary landscape,approaching its translation and dissemination across national, cultural, medial and linguistic borders.We welcome contributions that explore topics including but not limited to:
o Interdisciplinary attempts for addressing the methodological and theoretical considerations oftranslating CIL (e.g., gender studies, fan studies, literary studies, media studies, cultural studies,marketing studies, digital humanities, human-machine interaction, etc.);
o Theoretical underpinnings in terms of translation studies (e.g., audiovisual translation,multimodality, user-centred translation, collaborative translation, localisation, literarytranslation, etc.);
o Exploring and (re-)defining the terminologies and characteristics associated with the(sub)genres of CIL in light of its interlingual, intersemotic and/or intercultural transmission;and what does CIL mean for how we understand literature and translation;
o Agents involved in the translation, adaptation and dissemination of CIL (e.g., translators,literary websites/platforms, readers, streaming services, governmental bodies, etc.) – either aspractical reflections or research observations;o Social, political and technical infrastructures related to the translation and dissemination of CIL(e.g., state censorship and policies, publishing patterns and models, marketing and promotionalactivities, AI-assisted/machine translation of CIL, etc.);
o The construction of transmedia universe and IPs (e.g., the adaptation of popular literary titlesinto web series, video games, films, manga, animation, etc.);
o Assessment, review and reception of CIL and their translations
To propose a chapter, please submit an abstract (500 words maximum, excluding references) and ashort bio (100 words maximum) to both w.zhang3@exeter.ac.uk and sui.he@swansea.ac.uk by 15January 2024. Please send your email with a subject line in the format of “TransCIL + Author name”.Ideally, abstracts should provide details about the research questions, methodologies, and, if possible,the results
(6) (PDF) Call for Papers | Edited Volume: Translating Chinese Internet Literature: Global Adaptation and Circulation (Routledge, 2025). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375598118_Call_for_Papers_Edited_Volume_Translating_Chinese_Internet_Literature_Global_Adaptation_and_Circulation_Routledge_2025 [accessed Dec 12 2023].
Translation Studies Network of Ireland Conference: University of Galway | 25-26 April 2024
We are delighted to host the 4th annual conference of the Translation Studies Network of Ireland at the University of Galway, on April 25-26, 2024. This year, the theme of the conference is “Translation and Creativity,” which mirrors our city’s proud tradition of combining grass roots creativity with the delivery of sophisticated arts and creative spectacles.
The way in which translation has intersected with creativity ranges from the Romantic stereotype of the creator as individual genius to the ultimate frontier of deep learning and machine translation. In this conference we wish to explore linguistic, cultural, modal, disciplinary, multimedia and performative creativity as it translates between forms, languages, people, approaches and media.
If just before the turn of the millennium translation was seen as mainly dependent on the distance from the original, as well as on print as the medium of choice, it has steadily acquired a more dialogic and re-creational dimension, becoming an integral part of the creative writing process to the point to which it can even create new literature in computer-mediated environments. With more attention paid to re-writing processes and sociolinguistic factors, the “creative wave” in translation studies has encompassed processes such as self-translation, re-translation, multimodality, hybridity and artistic expression. Finally, and without exhausting the wealth of areas in which translators’ creativity plays a seminal role, migration in the 21st century and other significant population displacements have increased our awareness of the importance of translation for new community building and have drastically reshaped the dynamics between norms and creativity.
In this conference we welcome any contributions introducing interdisciplinary approaches or mixed methods to study translation and creativity, and we also welcome presentations which showcase creative practice in translation. A non-exhaustive list of possible topics for presentations includes:
Translation and/as creative writing
Translation, creative media and multimodality
Creativity in translation processes/workflows
Machine translation and creativity
Interdisciplinarity as creative approach
Creativity and interpreting
Translation as an art form
Translation, creativity and environment
Minority approaches to translation as creativity
Beyond (in)visibility: claiming translators’ identity as creative individuals
Playfulness in translation
Translation, transcreation and adaptation in multimodal contexts
Translation, adaptation and subversion across different art forms
Creative approaches to translation research methodology
Translation as creative approach in resilient community building
Creativity in volunteer or professional settings
Creativity and translation shift: novelty, acceptability, fluency and flexibility
Socio-political agendas promoted or challenged by creative translational acts
Deadline for abstracts: 20 Jan 2024
For more information, click here.
The Crossroads between Language Rights and Technology - Just. Journal of Language Rights and Minorities, Revista de Drets Lingüístics i Minories
Guest editors:
Deborah Giustini & María Jiménez-Andrés
Language rights encompass the right to choose and use one’s language in various spheres, including legal, educational, and media contexts (De Varennes 2007). Globally, minority language speakers and their associated language rights face threats from factors like national language dominance, assimilation, and colonialism, leading to declining usage (Romaine 2007). In particular, the rapid advancements in information and communication technology (ICT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are significantly impacting language rights and multilingual societies.
Language policy and planning increasingly attend to the role of technology in the revitalization of endangered languages and more widely, in the governmental promotion of multilingualism and social justice (Gazzola et al. 2023). International organizations such as at the EU level are often at the forefront of preserving language rights as fundamental rights of people and essential components of their cultural heritage. Initiatives like the Digital Language Equality and European Language Equality projects aim to support languages for them to prosper in the digital age (Gaspari et al. 2023). International organizations, NGOs, and humanitarian groups as well prioritize managing communication and preserving linguistic diversity through technologies to enhance information dissemination in crisis settings (Tesseur 2018; O’Brien et al. 2018; Federici & O’Brien 2019; Jiménez-Andrés & Orero 2022).
However, digital services remain unevenly accessible to vulnerable communities like migrants and refugees, reliant on supporting organizations (Jiménez-Andrés & Orero 2022), and facing obstacles related to digital literacy, potentially exacerbating social exclusion. Additionally, NGOs and humanitarian aid groups encounter limited adoption of translation and interpreting technologies (Rico 2019). Machine translation is often reserved for donor and official publications (Hunt et al. 2019), with limited support for minority languages since it is primarily designed for commercial and organizational use (Nurminen & Koponen 2020). Although many organizations endorse video remote interpreting (VRI) as a cost-effective solution, technical infrastructure limitations constrain use in humanitarian settings (James et al. 2022). Furthermore, technology use in organizations raises ethical and quality concerns, notably seen in the increasing reliance on AI-powered translations in asylum and immigration systems (Giustini 2024a, 2024b).
Recent developments in the field of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and large language models (LLMs) could aggravate the already disadvantaged situation of certain languages. LLMs often perform badly in non-standard languages, yet they play a growing role in life-altering decision-making settings, such as justice, asylum, and healthcare. Trained on human language, LLMs perpetuate racial and gender biases (Wang, Rubinstein & Cohn 2022), impacting accountability and necessary corrective measures as machine-made mistakes remain opaque.
This issue relates closely to tech companies’ role in language rights. Current LLMs are mostly property of a few tech giants (most of them from the Global North), raising ethical concerns about AI resource concentration, transparency, and open science criteria (van Dis et al. 2023). Developers prioritize LLM applications for languages with more reliable performance, perpetuating lower model performativity and exacerbating under-representation of languages and social groups from digital spaces (Weidinger et al. 2021; Rozado 2023). While LLMs can level language barriers, they may be exploited by high-income countries and privileged groups. In the Global South, tech firms based in the Global North are leveraging economic disparities to create products that further entrench Western hegemonic dominance in AI, and thus digital colonialism (Healy 2023, 4). Unequal internet access and hardware requirements also mean that LLM benefits are seldom accessible to all (Sambasivan & Holbrook 2018).
Finally, technological advancements in remote interpreting (Fantinuoli 2018; Giustini 2022), computer-assisted interpreting (Fantinuoli 2023), gig translation/interpreting models (Fırat 2021; Giustini forthcoming), AI/LLM training (Healy 2013), and machine translation (Rothwell et al. 2023) have raised questions about fair employment rights in the language industry. These changes also led to a re-evaluation of working conditions, roles, and identities, enhancing efficiency and flexibility but requiring professionals to adapt to machine integration, with implications for skills, labor pricing, and job satisfaction.
Against this backdrop, the special issue illuminates the critical need to address concerns at the intersection of language rights and technology, especially as we delve into the complex challenges faced by vulnerable communities across various contexts. Furthermore, it emphasizes the call for increased research to unravel the intricate societal, political, humanitarian, and organizational factors that amplify language-related power imbalances, specifically in the context of technology’s evolving landscape.
Just. Journal of Language Rights and Minorities, Revista de Drets Lingüístics i Minories is seeking submissions for a special issue on the topic of language rights and technology. The special issue aims to propel a debate on the dynamics and challenges surrounding the intersection of language rights and technology, exploring how advancements in (but not limited to) artificial intelligence, machine translation, machine interpreting, and digital communication impact linguistic diversity and accessibility, as well as language communities and policies, in our increasingly interconnected world.
Researchers are invited to submit articles in English, Spanish, or Catalan. Articles are expected to represent research across a wide range of disciplines, as well as inter- and transdisciplinary studies. The special issue aims to foster more interdisciplinary discussion among scholars from translation and interpreting studies, social sciences, political sciences, development studies, human-computer interaction, and science and technology studies, among other fields. We welcome any article that contributes to our understanding of the crossroads between language rights and technology. In preparing their submission, authors may wish to consider and address the following guiding questions:
Organizations, technologies, and vulnerable communities:
How can technology ensure equitable language access and safeguard linguistic diversity for vulnerable communities in a variety of contexts, including humanitarian and crisis situations?
How can translation and interpreting technologies better support minority language speakers and non-standard language varieties within and beyond organizational settings?
Ethical and quality concerns in technology use:
What ethical safeguards can be implemented to address potential biases and inequalities arising from AI-powered language technologies?
How can technology-driven decision-making processes be made more transparent and accountable, especially in life-altering situations?
Tech companies and language rights:
What roles should tech companies play in promoting language rights? How can their near-monopoly on language models be ethically managed?
What strategies can ensure equitable access to language technologies for marginalized languages and communities, in line with language rights principles?
Impact on language professionals:
How can language professionals negotiate fair working conditions in an increasingly technology-driven landscape?
What are the implications of technology integration for language professionals, particularly concerning skills and job security?
Language, human rights, and technologies:
How does technology contribute to sustaining or disrupting gendered and ethnolinguistic communities?
What role can technology play in safeguarding ecological knowledge and cultural heritage, and/or preserving and transmitting indigenous knowledge through language?
AI and linguistic communities:
What concerns are associated with bias in natural language processing and AI systems, particularly as it pertains to language rights?
How does the use of machine translation services affect linguistic communities, and what are the implications for languages with limited digital representation?
Digital linguistic landscapes:
How does language use in digital spaces reflects power dynamics and language rights, and are there any strategies and tools that have been successful in promoting language rights activism?
What are the legal and ethical dimensions of language rights in the context of the internet and digital communication, and how can linguistic diversity online be protected?
Just. Journal of Language Rights & Minorities, Revista de Drets Lingüístics i Minories is a journal dedicated to disseminating scholarship on the protection, enforcement, and promotion of the rights of linguistic minorities as well as related themes arising from the confluence of language, the social dynamics of dominance and oppression, and the law. Interested authors are invited to send 500- to 700-word proposals (excluding references) and inquiries directly to the guest editors: Deborah Giustini (dgiustini@hbku.edu.qa) and María Jiménez-Andrés (mandres@hbku.edu.qa) by May 1st, 2024. Please include a brief 150-word bionote about the authors, their affiliations and contact details in a separate file. All abstracts and manuscripts should use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) for both citation (https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html) and drafting. A summary of the drafting CMS guidelines is available in Just’s author guidelines (https://ojs.uv.es/index.php/JUST/about/submissions). Authors of abstracts that are accepted for consideration will be invited to submit a full manuscript that is between 6,000 and 8,000 words in length (exclusive of abstract and references but including footnotes). Every manuscript will be submitted to a double-blind peer review that includes at least two referees.
For more information, click here.
Universidad de Córdoba / Università del Salento: Summer School of Audiovisual Translation 22th-24th May 2024 – Online & Onsite
The fast-paced advancement in science and technology in an increasingly globalized world demands a greater interaction between individuals from different cultures and societies. Thus, translation has become a necessary an invaluable tool for communication in all fields of knowledge. In this context, the VII International Congress on Science and Translation: “Interdisciplinary bridges and dissemination of scientific knowledge” emphasizes on the essential role of translation in the dissemination of ideas and scientific advances.
This congress aims to be a meeting point and a discussion forum about science and translation connections.
The congress will be organized around the following discussion panels:
• Panel 1 – Translation & Interpreting in Specialized Contexts
• Panel 2 – Audiovisual & Multimodal Translation
• Panel 3 – Didactics of Specialized Translation and Interpreting
• Panel 4 – Specialized Languages
• Panel 5 – Technologies & New Research and Professional Perspectives 1. Contributions Contributions shall not exceed 20 minutes.
Contributions dealing with any of the above thematic panels are welcomed, specially those that deal with the study of:
- Terminology and specific languages.
- Lexicology and contrastive phraseology.
- Translation and interpreting in specialized contexts.
- Didactics of translation and interpreting.
- Dissemination of scientific knowledge.
- Labour market and translation. Translation as a business.
- Research on translation and interpreting.
- Specialized languages, terminology
- Audiovisual and multimodal translation
- Technologies, translation and interpreting
Deadline for abstracts: 1 Feb 2024.
For more information, click here.
CfP HTN 2024 Conference History – Translation – Politics
The History and Translation Network (HTN) was established in 2021 in response to the increasing significance of and interest in translation and interpreting history, both in translation and interpreting studies and historical studies (cf. “Manifesto”). The network has since connected a global community of scholars and practitioners from diverse disciplinary backgrounds who share the belief that acts of translation and interpreting are pivotal in the making of history and that considering their historical context is essential in comprehending said activities. One of its main objectives is to foster inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration and facilitate dialogue on the methodological and conceptual aspects of our research endeavors through conferences and other events. This vision was affirmed through the inaugural HTN conference held in Tallinn, Estonia, in May 2022 and the subsequent online follow-up event in May 2023, both of which highlighted the evident demand for such collaborative platforms.
The HTN 2024 Graz sets out to continue the exchange started in these two events. Embracing the thematic focus of “History – Translation – Politics,” this conference foregrounds the understanding of translation and interpreting as historically and politically contextualized activities that can potentially bring about cultural and social transfer and transformation. It probes the influence of politics on these activities while also exploring how translation politics can act as a catalyst for change within specific settings. Building upon the premise that translation is not only an essential element of historical analysis but also a historically situated practice, we welcome submissions that delve into the roles of translators, interpreters, and other pertinent institutions as agents or subjects of transformation. Additionally, we invite contributions that investigate instances of translation and interpreting that both instigate modifications within prevailing economic, political, religious, or social power dynamics and face constraints imposed by them, as well as contributions discussing the methodological added value of translation/interpreting as a lens into history.
Time and Place
The conference will take place on 11-14 September 2024 at the University of Graz, Austria.
Invited speakers:
Carla Mereu Keating (University of Bristol)
E. Natalie Rothman (University of Toronto Scarborough)
Vicente Rafael (University of Washington)
Submissions:
We accept individual papers as well as panel proposals.
Individual paper proposals should be approx. 300 words long.
If you are interested in organising a thematic panel involving 3-4 papers, please submit a preliminary panel proposal with the topic of the panel and a brief description (ca 100 words). If the preliminary proposal is accepted, we will ask a full panel proposal with title, panel description (ca 200 words), panelists and their paper’s proposal (approx. 300 words each).
Individual paper proposals and full panel proposals should be accompanied by short bios (ca 100 words) of the presenters.
Please send all proposals to the email address HTN2024@uni-graz.at, with the keyword “HTN-abstract” or “HTN-panels” on the subject line.
Deadlines:
Preliminary panel proposals: 1 December 2023
Acceptance of preliminary panel proposal: 15 January 2024
Full panel proposal (incl. abstracts for all papers): 1 February 2024
Individual paper proposal: 1 February 2024
Acceptance of individual paper proposals and full panel proposals: 31 March 2024
Registration: 15 May – 15 July 2024
Organizers:
The conference is organized by the History and Translation Network and the Department of Translation Studies of the University of Graz. Organizing committee:
Scientific committee:
Pekka Kujamäki
Hanna Blum
Nadja Grbic
Gernot Hebenstreit
Rafael Schögler
Daniele Monticelli
Christopher Rundle
Anne Lange (Tallinn)
Chris Rundle (Bologna)
Daniele Monticelli (Tallinn)
Hephzibah Israel (Edinburgh)
Hilary Footitt (Reading)
Ine Van linthout (Brussels)
Iryna Odrekhivska (Lviv)
Larisa Schippel (Vienna)
Lieven D’hulst (Leuven)
Magda Heydel (Kraków)
Michael Schreiber (Mainz)
Michele Troy (Hartford)
Michele Sisto (Pescara)
Outi Paloposki (Turku)
Paul Cohen (Toronto)
Pekka Kujamäki (Graz)
Sanja Perovic (Kings College)
Vicente Rafael (Washington)
Norms, Reforms, Deviations: International Conference of the Young Slavists Collective, Verona, 21-23 Feb 2024
Over the centuries, Slavic countries’ history and culture have been marked by countless attempts at revolution, rebellion, and transgression from the imposed norm, paired with a strong desire to adhere to forms of tradition, ideology, or even political regimes. Examples of such behaviour in the context of historical events are the various protests and riots that have spanned the last century in the Slavic area, beginning from the October Revolution in 1917, moving towards Color Revolutions in the early 2000s and the events surrounding Ukrainian Euromajdan in 2014 and Belarusian protest movements in 2020. As for artistic and literary environments, equally frequent have been attempts to deviate from the imposed norm to rework tradition or propose new aesthetic schemes, which have resulted, for instance, in numerous alternations between «archaists» and «innovators» (Yu. Tynyanov, 1929, Arkhaisty i novatory). At the same time, cultures belonging to the Slavic area have often engaged in dialogue with European tradition, which was perceived as more prestigious. Such dialogue with the close Western counterpart has been engaged either in the attempt to pursue integration with its consolidated aesthetic tradition or, at times, in the desire to differentiate themselves and assert their own specificity.
Suggesting a theoretical frame, one can observe similarities between the Slavic area’s cultural interactions and the semiosphere model theorised by Jurij Lotman (Yu. Lotman, 1984, On the semiosphere). Slavic cultures would live, accordingly, in a dual «semiotic space»: an internal space and an external one, closer to European standards. As the semiosphere itself, these two spaces are heterogeneous and asymmetrical. Such asymmetry between the codified languages placed at the centre of the system, and the less structured ones placed at its periphery, makes possible a continuous flow of creation and destruction of ‘norms’, in which elements take on meaning as a result of previously developed and shared codes, subject to constant renewal.
The adherence to which norms has marked the development of Slavic cultures? Which phenomena have given rise to processes of deviation and change? How have these opposing tendencies contributed to the development of literary tradition, to the normalisation of language, to the imposition or subversion of social and political order?
The conference intends to discuss the various possible ways of approaching the topic. Proposals may explore - without being limited to - the following research areas related to Slavic cultures: languages and linguistics; literature, art and cultural studies; cinema and theatre; language teaching; translatology and translation studies; historical, political and socio-cultural studies.
Deadline for abstracts: 20 November 2023
For more information, click here.
Translation Studies scholars have shown a growing interest in the role affect and emotions play in the translation process. Research in this vein has explored links between affect and translation in various domains, including literature, business, governance, and translator/interpreter training (Kußmaul 1991, Jääskeläinen 1996, Ruokonen & Koskinen 2017, Shadman 2020). Various methodologies have been brought to bear, ranging from qualitative methods such as TAP (Jääskeläinen 1996), interviews (Risku & Meinx 2021), and narrative accounts (Ruokonen & Koskinen 2017). These tools have proven useful in identifying and investigating the parameters that affect translators’ and interpreters’ performance and how emotional intelligence informs the translation process (Shadman 2020, Hubscher-Davidson 2021, Rojo 2017). Despite the great interdisciplinary potential of interfacing insights from psychology and cognitive scienceswith Translation Studies, researchers have thus far primarily focused on emotions from a cognitive perspective only. One notable exception is Kaisa Koskinen’s Translation and Affect: Essays on Sticky Affects and Translational Affective (2020), which invites scholars to rethink the role of “affect” in translation by including cultural and sociological approaches that highlight the relevance of affect theory to Translation Studies. Building on Koskinen’s pioneering work, this volume seeks to advance our understanding of affect’s interplay in translational phenomena by contributing new methodological and conceptual insights and exploring new empirical domains.
One indication of the need for conceptual elaboration is the profusion of different definitions of affect. Koskinen understands affect as a “body-mind complex that directs a person towards a desired state of affairs through a process of change” (13). Under this framework, affect is “bodily grounded. We can only be affected by what our sensory systems register, and this is constrained by both our bodily capacities and our material location” (179). Translation can thus be viewed as an activity in which affect plays an important role. Following Koskinen’s approach, we are interested in exploring the links between the individual and the social by highlighting emotional and physiological aspects involved in translation. Our volume hopes to build on this conceptualisation of affect that privileges human experience in times when technological advances often take centre stage, without forgetting that translation technologies also affect the translator and other translation actors both cognitively and socially (Pym, 2011). For instance, the use of increasingly high-performance digital tools and machine translation transforms the translator’s tasks and raises new questions regarding dialogue (Pym, 2011), agency, creativity, or individual voices, all of which arguably fall into the realm of affect (Koskinen, 2020: 155). Taking this into consideration, the goal of this volume is twofold. Firstly, it pursues a “sociocultural theorization of the roles of affect in translatorial activities” (6). Secondly, it aims to connect affect to the subfield of translator studies, which covers “sociology, culture and cognition” (Chesterman 2009: 13), in order to articulate the need for research focused on the agents and actors involved in translation rather than solely on the translated text. Agent- and process-oriented research allows for an in-depth examination of the translator’s agency and the influence of culture and society on their choices. Similarly, widely discussed questions such as translator training, ethics, and the translator’s (in)visibility need revisiting in light of affect theory.
Since translation is a cultural rather than a solely linguistic act, and given that affect is embedded in culture and is context-dependent, the intersection of affect and translation is best studied not only from an interdisciplinary point of view, but also through an exploration of novel and combined methods that pertain to the realm of ethnographic, literary-artistic, philosophical, cultural studies. In line with the contributions of Goldfajn (2020) and Koskinen hailing from cultural studies, this volume seeks to highlight the centrality of affect and emotions in translation and to offer new avenues for exploring future directions in the discipline. We welcome diverse perspectives, methodologies, and case studies that explore the cultural and social nature of both affect and translation, such as – but not exclusive to – cognitive, gendered, embodied, postcolonial, psychological and historical approaches that address one or more of the following questions:
– What is the role of affect on and between the different agents/actors in the translation field?
– How does translation shape affect in specific contexts or in relation to certain social phenomena? This question could be linked to climate change narratives, heritage, politics, journalism, current events, science, literature, national/cultural identity, censorship, etc.
– How are translators and interpreters affected by technology (e.g., CAT tools, translation memories, AI)? What could be the possible impacts on the future development of the profession?
– To what extent do sociocultural and economic factors such as gender, education, linguistic policies, and cultural politics influence affect, particularly in translation situations? What can this teach us about translators and the translation process?
– How can a more explicit focus on affect advance the state of the art in other areas of interest in TS, such as self-translation, retranslation, and untranslatability?
Deadline for abstracts: 15 December 2023
For more information, click here.
Special issue of Target: International Journal of Translation Studies - Translation and Labour. Edited by Cornelia Zwischenberger and Alexa Alfer.
We welcome proposals for conceptual papers as well as case studies and empirical research contributions that address the labour and work of translation and interpreting in both theory and practice. Please send your extended abstract (700-800 words, excluding references) to both editors Cornelia Zwischenberger (cornelia.zwischenberger@univie.ac.at) and Alexa Alfer (A.Alfer01@westminster.ac.uk) by 15 January 2023.
Further Information: https://transcultcom.univie.ac.at/news-and-events/news-detail/news/call-for-papers-special-issue-of-traget/
Call for Book Chapters: Constructive News Across Cultures
Co-editors: Ashley RIGGS and Lucile DAVIERWe seek contributions for an edited volume on constructive news across cultures, to be published byRoutledge in 2025 as the IATIS (International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies)Yearbook.
Deadline for abstracts: 19 November 2023
For more information, click here.
2nd International Conference “Translation and Cultural Sustainability: Challenges and New Avenues”, 17-19 April 2024, Salamanca, Spain
Following the resounding success of the 1st International Conference Translation and Cultural Sustainability, which took place in November 2018, the Department of Translation and Interpreting of the University of Salamanca, Spain, will hold the second edition from 17 to 19 April 2024.
The aim of this second gathering is to discuss the numerous challenges, research and development avenues and new scenarios (physical, technological as well as social and cultural) that we face in the field of Translation and Interpreting, be they in professional, research, intercultural mediation or teaching-learning activities.
Procedure
In our call for papers, we invite researchers and practitioners from all over the world to submit their abstracts for research, development and innovation in the wide range of areas encompassed by Translation and Interpreting. To this end, there will be five parallel paper presentation sessions and a physical space in which we will encourage participants to discuss emerging research, which will be presented in the form of posters. Some sessions will be moderated by outstanding guest speakers, who will also present their research or editorial projects in those sessions.
The three-day programme will include six keynote lectures and five roundtable discussions, in which prestigious experts in the discipline and profession will participate to help us reflect and debate on these new challenges, scenarios and research and development avenues.
For more information, click here.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 October 2023
Legal Translation & Interpreting on the move Research and Professional Opportunities, 2-4 October 2024, Trieste
The conference Legal Translation & Interpreting on the move is the closing event of the 2022-2023 edition of the 1st-Level Master programme in Legal Translation offered by the Department of Legal, Language, Interpreting and Translation Studies of the University of Trieste.The conference is also part of the events organised on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting (SSLMIT) as well as the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the University of Trieste.The conference aims to contribute to the discussion on the key role of legal translators and interpreters in a wide variety of areas, providing a forum in which academics and practitioners can benefit from the exchange of ideas based on research projects as well as professional experiences.
With a view to exploring the new opportunities and threats related to the fast-paced technological advancement and the rapidly changing professional landscape, in terms of both job profiles and market developments, the conference intends to encourage reflection on the various themes listed below and will address issues including, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Law, language, translation & interpreting and Artificial Intelligence
- Legal/community/court interpreting
- Training the legal translators and interpreters of the future
- Legal translation & interpreting competence: research and practice
- Legal institutional translation & interpreting
- Emerging demands and professional profiles
- Law, literature and translation
- Law on the screen: legal translation & audiovisual translation
- Legal translation, clear writing and language simplification
- Legal translation and transcreation
- Legal translation and legal design
- Legal translation & interpreting and crisis/risk communication
- Legal translation & interpreting and migration
- Legal translation & interpreting and human rights
- Ideology in legal translation & interpreting research and practice
- Gender, law, translation & interpreting
Deadline for abstracts: 30 November 2023
For more information, click here.
International conference on Children’s Literature and Translation Studies (CLTS), 22–23 August 2024, Stockholm
This conference is organized by a collaboration between Stockholm University, Uppsala University (Sweden), Heriot-Watt University (UK) and the Children In Translation Network at the University of Galway (Ireland) to promote the intersection between Children’s Literature and Translation Studies. We understand this intersection as a space that includes the translation of all forms of multimodal fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults or what Borodo (2007) refers to as “Child-centered Translation Studies” in desire to broaden the field of study to different media.
The field of children’s literature has proved a fertile ground for research in translation in recent decades, but the time has come to take stock of past developments and innovations to forge new theoretical and practical paths for the future development of the discipline. Drawing from the first interdisciplinary conference organized in Belgium by KU Leuven and the University of Antwerp in 2017, our goal is to solidify what has been achieved so far and to provide a space for discussion on the future of children's literature in translation. This workspace will serve as a forum for practitioner and academic voices to work together to share new ideas and to further shape the arena for the discipline.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 November 2023
For more information, click here
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