Location: KU Leuven, Faculty of Arts, Campus Antwerp

Date : 15-03-2019

Multilingual writing has been a common practice since Antiquity, but has only become a popular research topic among critics in recent years. Kellman, who prefers the term translingualism, states that “the creation of a new voice means the invention of a new self” (2014). Many writers as well as film directors draw on their daily use of more than one language as a creative resource, but, as Yildiz points out in her authoritative essay Beyond the Mother Tongue, The Postmonolingual Condition, multilingualism is still haunted by the ideal of one true mother tongue (Yildiz 2012). Moreover, there is the material impossibility of a radically plurilingual literature because big publishing houses are not interested in it (Lennon 2010).

In the one-day conference, Polyglots and Polysystems, it is our aim to analyze multilingualism in literature and film from different perspectives through which both the product and the process can be approached. Codde, for instance, reminds us that, although Polysystem Theory seems to have lost its appeal for students and researchers of comparative literature, Even-Zohar’s interpretative model still offers a “framework for a wide-ranging and still topical study of a variety of cultural phenomena” (Codde 2003). The conference will bring together insights and methodologies from literary studies, film studies and translation studies, and confront these with new perspectives in the field. We also welcome case studies of contemporary literary works and films from 2000 until now. The main focus will be on texts and films in English and/or Spanish.

Organizing Institutions: KU Leuven, Research Group VICT (“Translation and Intercultural Transfer”) and Ghent University, Research Group CLIV (“Literature in Translation”)

Conference programme : Polyglots and Polysystems

The University of Perugia announces its upcoming conference

La traduzione come atto politico
Translation as Political Act
La traduction comme acte politique

which will be hosted at Perugia from 9 to 11 May 2019 by the Department of Political Sciences, in collaboration with the Genealogies of Knowledge Project, University of Manchester (UK).

The conference seeks to address four areas of particular interest. The first area concerns the role of translation in the development and dissemination of political ideas; the second area considers how translation operates in the context of institutional politics; the third looks at how social movements and interest groups use translation to advance their agendas or political demands; finally, the fourth area concerns translation practices in the media, focusing on international politics.

CLIV-members Guy Rooryck and Lieve Jooken will deliver a keynote paper on “Le traducteur-médiateur: un dialogue franco-britannique au siècle des Lumières”.

Full programme  home.translationaspoliticalact.net/program
Conference website home.translationaspoliticalact.net/home-1
Registration closes on 30 April 2019.

Organising committee:

Diana Bianchi (Università di Perugia, Italia)
Jan Buts (University of Manchester, UK)
Henry Jones (University of Manchester, UK)
Francesca Piselli (Università di Perugia, Italia)
Federico Zanettin (Università di Perugia, Italia)

The Department of Languages, Literature, and Communication of the Faculty of Humanities, Utrecht University is seeking applications for a full professorship in the field of Translation Studies. The Department of Languages, Literature, and Communication (TLC) brings together expertise in the fields of specific Languages (Celtic & Classics, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish) as well as those of Linguistics, Comparative Literature and Communication Studies. The successful candidate will have a key role to play in the department in the strategic development of Translation Studies both in teaching and research.

The Professor of Translation Studies will have teaching responsibilities in translation studies and be responsible for overseeing and further developing undergraduate and graduate teaching in the field. The Chair will also be charged with developing research capacity and new research lines in the field of Translation Studies, and will have responsibility for the staff involved in these teaching and research programmes.

Profile
The successful candidate will be able to :

• initiate and stimulate graduate and undergraduate teaching within the Department on topics relating to Translation Studies;
• initiate, stimulate, and supervise research within the Department in state of the art in Translation Studies;
  contribute to the visibility of the field of study both within and beyond the Faculty of Humanities and the Dutch academic world;
• apply successfully for research funding;
• initiate, and participate in, activities aimed to disseminate academic knowledge to the wider public;
  demonstrate outreach, openness and the ability to build bridges between diverse approaches and colleagues;
  provide guidance and coaching to younger colleagues;
• able and willing in due course to contribute to the management of the Department and the Faculty.

Required competences
The successful candidate will:

• have excellent qualifications, evident from leading publications on themes relevant to the chair;
• will preferably have some practical experience as a translator;
• have a proven ability to develop a distinctive line of research within the framework described;
• be able to use Dutch as a working language in translation studies or, in the case of non-Dutch speakers, be willing to acquire the relevant language skills within a period of two years;
• have an excellent knowledge of at least one of the modern languages that is taught within the department (Dutch, English, French, Spanish, German or Italian)
• be competent in English; have supervisory skills, evidenced by the coaching of young researchers, especially PhD students;
• have a successful track record in attracting substantial research funding from external sources, or show the potential to do so;
• be experienced in interdisciplinary cooperation;
• have knowledge and experience with regard to the use and impact of research tools in field of Digital Humanities;
• have an international orientation, evidenced by international research networks, as well as a commitment to working within the Dutch context.
• be an excellent teacher who is motivated and able to motivate others;
• have experience in course and curriculum development;
• be motivated to take on administrative responsibilities within the department and the Faculty of Humanities and have all relevant organisational and practical skills to do so;• have relevant experience with administrative responsibilities;
• have strong leadership and social skills;
• be a team player who knows how to motivate people.

What we offer
We offer a 1.0 FTE position for five years, which upon positive evaluation will be converted into a permanent contract. The gross salary – depending on previous qualifications and experience – ranges between €5,582 and €8,127 (scale H2 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) gross per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8 % and a year-end bonus of 8.3 % per year. We offer a pension scheme, (partly paid) parental leave, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information is available at: working at Utrecht University.

About the organization
Utrecht University is at the heart of society and has strong ambitions with regard to the quality and success of its programmes. With its distinct research profile in Sustainability, Life Sciences, Dynamics of Youth and Institutions of Open Societies the faculty aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe within an ever changing social and cultural context.

Application
Your application can be uploaded through the link:  http://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/working-at-utrecht-university/jobs below until the 27 January 2019.

Your application should consist of:

• a letter of motivation;
• a CV and list of publications;
• a brief research plan which shows how you would develop your research in translation studies in the context of the Department;
• one or two course outlines from earlier courses that you have taught and that are indicative of your approach to teaching translation studies.

For further information about the Department please visit : https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/department-of-languages-literature-and-communication.

For further information about the position, please download the full Description of the Chair in Translation Studies (chair_in_translation_studies). You are also free to contact the Head of Department, Prof. Dr. Ann Rigney, for further information.

Women are encouraged to apply for this position. Interviews with selected