Translation and Activism

1st International Forum

Concept As linguistic, cultural and national borders become increasingly blurred by corporate-led globalisation and the ravages of ‘perpetual’ war, non-mainstream institutions such as NGOs and social movements, as well as individual activists, are beginning to exploit the shift from national to transnational spheres of action to challenge mainstream ideologies that support patterns of injustice across the globe. The involvement and intervention of translators and interpreters on both sides of the power divide in this complex and volatile landscape is becoming a growing concern for the sociology and ethics of translation and interpreting. In an attempt to respond to the growing interest within and beyond the academic field of translation studies in the role played by translators and interpreters in redressing the injustices of an increasingly polarised and conflictual society, this 1st International Forum aims to provide a platform for initiating debate on the urgent issue of translation/interpreting and activism among scholars, trainers, practitioners and civil society actors. The following themes are particularly relevant in this context: * What aspects of the politics of translation have been considered so far in translation studies, and how adequate are the perspectives from which they have been approached? What paradigms and models frame translation as a political practice and translators as political actors? * Are there productive models developed in social theory, particularly in the study of social movements and activist communities, that can offer theoretical and methodological insights in translation studies? * What politically engaged initiatives are emerging in the translation and interpreting field across contexts (civil society, training institutions, private and public labour market)? To what extent do these initiatives respond to the need for an ethically oriented approach to translation and interpreting? * How are issues of volunteering, status, professionalism and quality, among others, addressed across contexts? * How can an ethical dimension be integrated in training, in the labour market and in the profession as a whole? * What kind of institutions, organisations and groups depend on the political commitment of translators and interpreters in order to function politically, and how do they use translation and interpreting? Who undertakes translation and interpreting tasks in order to meet the needs of activist and advocacy groups? * What interests, beliefs and/or social factors mobilise translators and interpreters, individually or collectively, to work for or against specific institutions, i.e. in the service of particular political agendas? What kind of dynamics shape the interaction between translators/interpreters and those they service in these contexts? To what extent do the strategies used differ from those in less politically engaged translation and interpreting tasks? * How do professional associations, training institutions and communities of translators and interpreters view the involvement of translators and interpreters in political and social movements? What kind of discourse do scholars, trainers, practitioners and activists generate in relation to the growing activist profile of various groups of translators and interpreters? What is the nature of the dynamics of collective and personal discourse in this context? Languages of Conference Translation and interpreting will be provided in English and Spanish. This forum considers that linguistic diversity encourages participation. Therefore all possible efforts will be made to attain effective communication among speakers of other languages. Keynote Speakers Mona Baker, Professor of Translation Studies, University of Manchester, UK Manuel Talens, Translator, Novelist and Activist, Spain Moira Inghilleri, Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK Organising Committee Jesús de Manuel Jerez Julie Boéri Sofía García Beyaert Juan López Cortés Eloísa Monteoliva García Scientific Committee Martha Cheung Carol Maier África Vidal Claramonte Anne Martin Dolores Sánchez Jesús de Manuel Jerez Advisory Board Dorothy Kelly Presentación Padilla Benítez Key dates Deadline for submitting Abstracts (approx. 500 words) and short presentation (no longer than seven lines) on your academic and/or activist background and work can be sent by email to tradint@correo.ugr.es by the 27th November 2006. Notification of acceptance of abstracts: 4th December 2006 Contact Juan López Cortés and Eloísa Monteoliva García Facultad de Traducción e Interpretación Universidad de Granada Calle Buensuceso, 11 18002 Granada Spain Phone/Fax: +34 958 240 519 tradint@correo.ugr.es [url=http://www.translationactivism.com]http://www.translationactivism.com[/url] The Conference will be hosted by the University of Granada (Spain). Further details, including conference fee, accommodation, registration details, speakers and programme will be posted regularly on the conference website. If you want to receive this information in your private email address, subscribe to the conference newsletter by clicking here and writing your email in the body of the message. [url=http://www.translationactivism.com]http://www.translationactivism.com[/url] The Conference will be hosted by the University of Granada (Spain). Further details, including conference fee, accommodation, registration details, speakers and programme will be posted regularly on the conference website. If you want to receive this information in your private email address, subscribe to the conference newsletter by clicking here and writing your email in the body of the message.