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Conference Translation and Interculturality: Africa and the West
University of Groningen, the Netherlands
April 2-3, 2004
As the last decades have shown, translation is not only an interlingual, but also an intercultural activity. The problems which it
generates vary depending on the depth of cultural differences. We should like to focus in this conference on the role of translation
as a mediating activity between African languages and cultures and those of the West, while at the same time taking account of its
potential of promoting sociocultural, ideological, and political conflict. How does translation function in complex multilingual and
multicultural nations? Given the multiple roots of African cultures, how does translation impact on the rapidly changing traditions
of Africa? In what way does translation really reflect cultural differences, instead of masking them? In bringing together both
experts on African languages and cultures and translation scholars, we hope to provide a broad forum for debating these questions.
Topics we would like to see addressed include:
- representation of social, cultural or political identity through translation;
- problems in the transfer of culture-bound issues, such as taboos, and the way translators and interpreters deal with these
problems;
- (implicit) ideological and political attitudes underpinning the choice of translation strategies;
- the role of translation in formerly colonized areas: status-related differences between source and target texts, the relation
between the colonizer s language and national languages, and the role of the lingua franca;
- issues in translating and interpreting from an oral to a written medium and vice-versa; the relation between translation and code
switching;
- the role of institutions and/or individual translators and interpreters as linguistic and cultural mediators.
We invite contributions from scholars working in any of the following areas: translation studies, (socio)linguistics, intercultural
communication, literary studies. Lectures should be based on theoretical and/or empirical research. We intend to publish selected
proceedings.
Abstracts (max. 350 words) should be sent before December 31, 2003, to the address or email below.
Keynote speakers:
Prof. Mona Baker (University of Manchester)
Prof. Lourens de Vries (VU University, Amsterdam)
Practical issues:
- Conference languages: English and French
- Deadline for submission of abstracts: December 31, 2003
- Notification of acceptance: January 15, 2004
- Conference fees: EUR 25 per day (including registration, conference materials, coffee, tea, lunch), EUR 45 for 2 days; students:
EUR 15 per day, EUR 25 for 2 days. Please note that travel and accommodation expenses will not be refunded.
Organizing committee:
University of Groningen, Faculty of Arts: Liesbeth Korthals Altes
(e.j.korthals.altes@let.rug.nl), Stella Linn
(s.i.linn@let.rug.nl), Marianne Vogel (m.vogel@let.rug.nl);
University of Leiden, Dept. of African Linguistics: Maarten Mous (m.mous@let.leiden-univ.nl).
For practical matters: Franka van den Hende (f.m.van.den.hende@bureau.rug.nl).
Registration
Registrations can be submitted through this online registration form.
For updates please check the webpage below regularly.
Mona Baker
Personal website: www.monabaker.com
Resources for Translation Studies: http://www.monabaker.com/tsresources/
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