CFP: Translating for the Stage: Translating on the Stage

Symposium: 13th January
Workshop: 11-13th January
University of Oxford, Maison Française

Special Guest: Catherine Hargreaves, Ecole Nationale Supérieure
des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre, Lyon

The symposium will take place after a three-day practical workshop run by director, actor and translator Catherine Hargreaves, professor at ENSATT, France. Speakers are invited to register for the workshop in addition to the symposium if they wish (see description below).

Call for Papers

While the domestication of cultural references is often seen as crucial in theatre translation, pursuing efficacy in speeches is just as important: the translator needs to have an ear for the potential performance of the text and its ‘speakability’. The demands of the stage tend to cut short the ethical debates on the positioning of translation between source and target text, and justify the choice for adaptation rather than translation. Over the past decades, translators and critics have defended the need to test translations on the stage, and the cooperation between the different agents of the theatrical project – in other words, the interdependence between translation, adaptation and interpretation. Collaborative translation benefits the actor by alleviating their verbal obstacles (Johnston 2004), and the director by assisting them in the interpretation of the text, as well as its reception, favouring the clarity and credibility of the text (Peghinelli 2012).

Sometimes collaborative translation also benefits the translators themselves, as it elevates their subaltern status and gives them visibility (Fernandes 2010); or benefits the source text, as it helps to retain the effects produced by the original (Zatlin 2005). This practice also benefits theatre translation as a discipline, as it can open up several avenues of research. For example, because the idiom generally aspires to embrace the target culture’s sociolect in a given time and to be as efficient as possible, studying the history of all available translations prepared for performance of a particular play could bring some insights into the evolution of language usage and the norms of theatrical efficacy. Just as the practice and the study of stage-oriented translations have entailed the emergence of theatre anthropology as an almost autonomous area of research, such historical study has the potential to open up to theatre sociolinguistics as a new subfield of the discipline.

This study day may also focus on the flaws of collaborative translation, and aims to foster debate on the practice. First, collaborative translation relies heavily on the notions of ‘speakability’ and ‘performability’, which are still under-conceptualised and sometimes controversial. Second, the necessity and the legitimacy of collaborative translation and naturalistic-driven theatrical writings can legitimately be criticised.

While case studies are welcome, we will favour proposals that particularly contribute to the theoretical reflection on collaborative translation. Papers should not exceed 20 minutes and suggested themes are as follows (although this list is not prescriptive):
– Mechanisms and purpose of collective translation
– Politics of rehearsals: power struggle and visibility of the translator
– Collective translation and commercial theatre
– Ethical considerations
– Social sciences: sociolinguistics, historiography, anthropology, rehearsal ethnography
– Defining, pursuing or rejecting ‘speakability’

Please send your abstract or any questions to cedric.ploix@st-hughs.ox.ac.uk by 15th October 2017. The committee will review the abstracts in the following week.

The symposium will end with an open workshop in which speakers will be given the opportunity to join for free or to attend (knowledge of French not essential for this workshop), followed by a round table.

Workshop

The workshop will explore the relationship between language and acting. How can the use of different languages influence an actor’s presence, develop his practical skills and sensitivities and modify meaning? What happens on stage when a same scene is played in different languages? Or in several languages at the same time?

After a series of exercises, designed to reveal how the rhythm and sound of a given language carry the history and cultural background of a society, the participants (theatre practitioners and literature students) will work on performing English and French versions of the same scenes and on improvisations linked to multilingual devised theatre. Time will be spent on analyzing the different performances and figuring out together if the stage can and/or should influence the translation of a play. The authors and translators of the plays will be invited to join the workshop.

The scenes will be taken from English and French contemporary plays. Knowledge of French is required to participate, but no theatre experience is required.
Lunches will be provided.

Registration for the workshop (11th-13th January, 10am – 4pm): £30 (£15 for students).
Registration for the symposium: (13th January): £20 (£10 for students)

CFP: Translating for the Stage: Translating on the Stage

Symposium: 13th January 2018
Workshop: 11-13th January 2018
University of Oxford, Maison Française

Special Guest: Catherine Hargreaves, Ecole Nationale Supérieure
des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre, Lyon

The symposium will take place after a three-day practical workshop run by director, actor and translator Catherine Hargreaves, professor at ENSATT, France. Speakers are invited to register for the workshop in addition to the symposium if they wish (see description below).

Call for Papers

While the domestication of cultural references is often seen as crucial in theatre translation, pursuing efficacy in speeches is just as important: the translator needs to have an ear for the potential performance of the text and its ‘speakability’. The demands of the stage tend to cut short the ethical debates on the positioning of translation between source and target text, and justify the choice for adaptation rather than translation. Over the past decades, translators and critics have defended the need to test translations on the stage, and the cooperation between the different agents of the theatrical project – in other words, the interdependence between translation, adaptation and interpretation. Collaborative translation benefits the actor by alleviating their verbal obstacles (Johnston 2004), and the director by assisting them in the interpretation of the text, as well as its reception, favouring the clarity and credibility of the text (Peghinelli 2012).

Sometimes collaborative translation also benefits the translators themselves, as it elevates their subaltern status and gives them visibility (Fernandes 2010); or benefits the source text, as it helps to retain the effects produced by the original (Zatlin 2005). This practice also benefits theatre translation as a discipline, as it can open up several avenues of research. For example, because the idiom generally aspires to embrace the target culture’s sociolect in a given time and to be as efficient as possible, studying the history of all available translations prepared for performance of a particular play could bring some insights into the evolution of language usage and the norms of theatrical efficacy. Just as the practice and the study of stage-oriented translations have entailed the emergence of theatre anthropology as an almost autonomous area of research, such historical study has the potential to open up to theatre sociolinguistics as a new subfield of the discipline.

This study day may also focus on the flaws of collaborative translation, and aims to foster debate on the practice. First, collaborative translation relies heavily on the notions of ‘speakability’ and ‘performability’, which are still under-conceptualised and sometimes controversial. Second, the necessity and the legitimacy of collaborative translation and naturalistic-driven theatrical writings can legitimately be criticised.

While case studies are welcome, we will favour proposals that particularly contribute to the theoretical reflection on collaborative translation. Papers should not exceed 20 minutes and suggested themes are as follows (although this list is not prescriptive):
– Mechanisms and purpose of collective translation
– Politics of rehearsals: power struggle and visibility of the translator
– Collective translation and commercial theatre
– Ethical considerations
– Social sciences: sociolinguistics, historiography, anthropology, rehearsal ethnography
– Defining, pursuing or rejecting ‘speakability’

Please send your abstract or any questions to cedric.ploix@st-hughs.ox.ac.uk by 15th October 2017. The committee will review the abstracts in the following week.

The symposium will end with an open workshop in which speakers will be given the opportunity to join for free or to attend (knowledge of French not essential for this workshop), followed by a round table.

Workshop

The workshop will explore the relationship between language and acting. How can the use of different languages influence an actor’s presence, develop his practical skills and sensitivities and modify meaning? What happens on stage when a same scene is played in different languages? Or in several languages at the same time?

After a series of exercises, designed to reveal how the rhythm and sound of a given language carry the history and cultural background of a society, the participants (theatre practitioners and literature students) will work on performing English and French versions of the same scenes and on improvisations linked to multilingual devised theatre. Time will be spent on analyzing the different performances and figuring out together if the stage can and/or should influence the translation of a play. The authors and translators of the plays will be invited to join the workshop.

The scenes will be taken from English and French contemporary plays. Knowledge of French is required to participate, but no theatre experience is required.
Lunches will be provided.

Registration for the workshop (11th-13th January, 10am – 4pm): £30 (£15 for students).
Registration for the symposium: (13th January): £20 (£10 for students)

Call for Papers : The Poetic Nuance in Literary Translation

ACLA-congres in Los Angeles (March 29th-April 1th 2018)

Organizer: Christina Bezari

The task of translating a literary text often poses the challenge of choosing between content and form. This is, of course, conspicuous in the translation of poetry where meaning and form are indissoluble and constitute an organic whole. Prose translation can be equally exigent. Its narratological ingenuity and nuances in style demand not only verbal dexterity but also the ability to capture the magic concealed in the author’s imagery. In order to produce a version that is pertinent and meaningful to the modern reader, the translator of both poetry and prose takes certain liberties with regard to the source text but inevitably faces the challenge of fidelity to its original language and content. Hence, a question that arises in addressing the task of literary translation is whether its artistic nature should prevail over its scientific status or if a combination of the two can be viewed as the key solution to the problem of reconciliation between theoretical and practical premises. This question constitutes the starting point of our inquiry and invites further reflection on the status of the literary translator, the emergence of new paradigms and shifting viewpoints, the interchange between theory and practice, and the contribution of literary translation to the wider rapport between cultures.

This seminar welcomes original approaches with regard to the translation of poetry and prose. Theoretical considerations and/or practical case studies can focus on either a descriptive, target-oriented, functional and systemic analysis of literary translation (Gideon Toury 1985; Dilek Dizdar 2009) or towards a normative, source-text oriented, linguistic and atomistic standpoint (Heidrun Gerzymisch-Arbogast 2006). Other possible approaches can examine the social constraints that condition the reception of literary translation (Gisele Sapiro 2008), the enunciatory process of cultural translation and its relation to the concept of hybridity (Homi Bhabha 1994), the hermeneutic motion and the battle between literal and symbolic meaning (George Steiner 1975), the element of resistance and the irresolution of translation (Walter Benjamin 1921), the claim of aesthetic autonomy (Lawrence Venuti 2012), the ethical turn in translation studies (Mary Snell-Hornby 2006), and the place of translations both within a given literature and in the intersection between literatures (Theo Hermans 1985). Reflections on literary translation through the prism of philosophy, sociology, poetics, studies on the imaginary or any other related field are also welcome.

Scholars at any stage of their research are invited to submit their abstracts (100-250 words) before the 21st of September 2017. Submissions for this panel should be sent via the convention’s website: https://www.acla.org/annual-meeting. For further information you can contact the organizer: bezari.christina@gmail.com

Vacature voor een assistent Nederlandse taal- en/of vertaalkunde voor het academisch jaar 2017-2018 (Université de Liège)

Aan de Universiteit van Luik is met ingang van 1 oktober 2017 een tweejaarlijks hernieuwbaar mandaat vacant voor een assistent Nederlandse taal- en/of vertaalkunde. De taakomschrijving behelst naast ondersteuning bij de colleges in de betrokken domeinen hulp bij de organisatie van de examens en administratief werk voor de vakgroep Nederlands.

De kandidaten dienen te beschikken over een uitgesproken onderzoeksprofiel en het voornemen te hebben het werk aan een doctoraal proefschrift aan te vatten of voort te zetten. Voorkeur zal worden gegeven aan kandidaten met een zeer goede beheersing van de vaktaal (Nederlands) en de werktaal (Frans).

Nadere informatie over deze vacature is te verkrijgen bij Prof.dr. L. Rasier, voorzitter van het Departement de Langues et Lettres modernes: laurent.rasier@ulg.ac.be. Sollicitaties met motivatiebrief (in het Frans) en cv dienen te worden gericht aan: M. le Prof. Jean Winand, Doyen de la Faculté de Philosophie & Lettres, Université de Liège, Place du 20 Août, B-4000 Liège, doyen.phl@ulg.ac.be . De sluitingsdatum is 15 augustus e.k.

Translation Studies and Children’s Literature – Current topics and future perspectives

Since the 1970s and 1980s, the translation of children’s literature has attracted the attention of many scholars in various fields. On 18, 19 and 20 October 2017, KU Leuven and the University of Antwerp (Belgium) will organise an interdisciplinary conference on Translation Studies and Children’s Literature that aims to investigate the intersection between translation studies and children’s literature studies, offer a state of the art of current trends in the study of children’s literature in translation, and consider future perspectives for this field. How can the concepts, methods and topics used to study children’s literature contribute to the field of Translation Studies? What research questions are opened up by studying children’s books from a Translation Studies perspective? And what potential avenues have only recently been opened up, or remain as yet uncovered? The conference will take place on the occasion of the academic retirement of Prof. dr. Jan Van Coillie (University of Leuven), a pioneer in this area of study.

The conference will be held in Brussels (18 & 19 October 2017) and Antwerp (20 October 2017). The conference will open with a lecture by Jan Van Coillie in Brussels on Wednesday 18 October at 6 PM and ends on Friday 20 October at 7 PM.

Keynote speakers are:

Gillian Lathey (University of Roehampton London, UK)
Cecilia Alvstad (University of Oslo, Norway)
Emer O’Sullivan (Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany)
Jan Van Coillie (University of Leuven, Belgium)

Masterclasses over het vertalen van jeugdliteratuur

Op 19 en 20 oktober 2017 organiseert de KU Leuven samen met de Universiteit Antwerpen een congres over Children’s Literature and Translation Studies. In aanloop naar dit congres voorziet de Faculteit Letteren van de KU Leuven campus Brussel op 18 oktober een reeks masterclasses over het vertalen van jeugdliteratuur gericht op masterstudenten. De sessies vinden plaats tussen 10.30-12.30 en 13.30-15.30 uur.

Tijdens elke masterclass buigt een ervaren vertaler zich samen met een groep van maximum twintig studenten over de specifieke eisen die het vertalen van jeugdliteratuur met zich meebrengt. Ter illustratie worden een of meerdere vertaalfragmenten vergeleken met de originele tekst. Het zal steeds gaan om vertalingen naar het Nederlands en wel vanuit de volgende talen: Frans, Engels, Duits, Spaans, Italiaans en Pools. De dag wordt afgesloten met een panelgesprek (16.00-16.45) over de eigenheden en uitdagingen die vertalers van jeugdliteratuur tegenkomen.

Er kan zowel klassikaal als individueel ingeschreven worden.

Vacature: doctor-assistent in de vertaalwetenschap en vergelijkende literatuurstudie (KULeuven)

(Ref. AAP-2017-180)

Tewerkstelling : Voltijds

Duur : Bepaalde duur

Plaats : Leuven

Solliciteren tot en met : 31/07/2017

Voor de Onderzoekseenheid Vertaalwetenschap, Leuven zoeken wij een doctor-assistent.

Doctor-assistent

Binnen de OE Vertaalwetenschap verenigt de OG Vertaling en Interculturele Transfer onderzoek en onderwijs in literaire vertaling, interculturele transfer en vergelijkende literatuurstudie.

Functie

Je verricht wetenschappelijk onderzoek op het gebied van de vertaalwetenschap en vergelijkende literatuurstudie, met focus op literaire vertaling en transfer. Je publiceert daarover in vooraanstaande tijdschriften en boeken.

Je verzorgt kwalitatief hoogstaand onderwijs op bachelor- en masterniveau in het domein van de vergelijkende literatuurstudie en literaire vertaling.

Je doceert de vakken:

F0AA0a Inleiding tot de studie van de Europese literatuur en cultuur: voor 1800
F0AA1a Inleiding tot de studie van de Europese literatuur en cultuur: na 1800
F0AR6a Literatuur in vergelijkend perspectief

Je werkt mee aan:

F0UX8a Western Literature: Concepts and Questions
F0UY3a Translation and Plurilinguism in Literature
F0YJ0a Vertaalonderzoek: Literaire vertaling
F0UY9a Literaire institutionalisering
Je begeleidt bachelor- en masterproeven.
Je werkt mee aan dienstverleningsactiviteiten van de Faculteit Letteren op de Campus Leuven.

Profiel

Je hebt op het moment van je aanstelling een diploma van doctor in de Vertaalwetenschap of Literatuurwetenschap.
Je beheerst het Engels en het Nederlands uitstekend, zowel mondeling als schriftelijk.
Je hebt relevante publicaties op het gebied van Vertaalwetenschap (met focus op literaire vertaling) en Vergelijkende Literatuurstudie in internationale wetenschappelijke tijdschriften met beoordeling door vakgenoten of in boeken bij vooraanstaande uitgeverijen.
Je bezit voortreffelijke didactische kwaliteiten voor het academisch onderwijs.
Je beschikt over organisatorische vaardigheden en bent collegiaal ingesteld.

Aanbod

Wij bieden een voltijdse aanstelling als doctor-assistent met een contract van bepaalde duur voor 3 jaar.
Je komt terecht op de Campus Leuven van de KU Leuven, een stimulerende werk- en leeromgeving waarin je volop je expertise als onderzoeker verder kunt uitbouwen en je didactische kwaliteiten kunt ontplooien.

Interesse?

Meer informatie is te verkrijgen bij prof. dr. Reine Meylaerts, tel.: +32 16 32 48 48, mail: reine.meylaerts@kuleuven.be.

Solliciteren voor deze vacature kan tot en met 31/07/2017 via onze online sollicitatietoepassing

Vacature : deeltijds praktijkassistent Duits (UGent – Vakgroep Vertalen, Tolken, Communicatie)

→ Solliciteren tot 06/06/2017 23:59 CEST
→ Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte
→ Vakgroep LW22 – Vertalen, tolken en communicatie
→ AAP tijdelijke aanstelling – 20%
→ 1 positie(s)

Voor de Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte zoeken wij een deeltijds praktijkassistent Duits (20%) binnen de vakgroep Vertalen, Tolken en Communicatie.

OVER DE UGENT

De Universiteit Gent is een wereld op zich. Meer dan 8.000 personeelsleden zijn er dagelijks aan de slag in onderwijs en onderzoek, beheer en administratie, technische en sociale voorzieningen, enz. Voor hen is de Universiteit Gent een logische keuze: het is een van de grootste, meest boeiende en toekomstgerichte werkgevers van de regio. De Universiteit Gent telt 11 faculteiten en meer dan 100 vakgroepen, die in elk van de wetenschappelijke disciplines hoogstaande en door onderzoek ondersteunde opleidingen aanbieden.

JOUW OPDRACHT

Je levert bijstand bij de onderwijsprojecten van de master tolken en het praktijkgerichte onderwijs van de afdeling Duits van de vakgroep (organisatie, begeleiding en evaluatie van praktische oefeningen en werkcolleges), in het bijzonder de vakken algemene en gespecialiseerde tolkpraktijk, en consecutief en simultaan tolken.

JOUW PROFIEL

Je bent houder van een diploma van master in het tolken of postgraduaat conferentietolken met Duits of een gelijkgesteld diploma met Duits. Aan de diplomavoorwaarden moet voldaan zijn op datum van aanstelling.
Je beheerst het Duits en het Nederlands op het niveau C2 van het ERK (Europees Referentiekader) of als moedertaalspreker.
Je oefent overige beroepsactiviteiten uit en/of je hebt aantoonbare ervaring die kan bijdragen tot de kwaliteit van het tolkonderwijs.
Je hebt interesse in een onderwijsopdracht in vermeld domein.
Je hebt interesse in wetenschappelijke en/of projectmatig onderzoek en dienstverlening.
Onderwijservaring en deelname aan nascholing, conferenties etc. strekt tot aanbeveling.

ONS AANBOD

Wij bieden je een aanstelling voor een termijn van een jaar. De aanstelling kan onbeperkt hernieuwd worden voor periodes van maximaal vijf jaar. Opgelet: Je kan niet voor een gecumuleerd percentage van meer dan 30 % als praktijkassistent aan de UGent aangesteld worden.
De indiensttreding kan ten vroegste vanaf 1 oktober 2017.
De verloning gebeurt volgens barema AAP3. Meer informatie hieronder vind je op onze website.
Verder kan elk UGent-personeelslid rekenen op een aantal voordelen, zoals een breed opleidings- en vormingsaanbod, 38 dagen vakantieverlof (op jaarbasis voor een voltijdse betrekking), een fietsvergoeding, ecocheques enz. Een volledig overzicht van onze personeelsvoordelen, kan je vinden op onze website.

INTERESSE?

Solliciteer online via deze toepassing vóór de uiterste inschrijvingsdatum (zie bovenaan) en voeg volgende documenten toe:

je sollicitatiebrief
je cv
een kopie van het vereiste diploma (indien reeds in jouw bezit)
enkel indien je je diploma buiten de Europese Unie behaalde: een gelijkwaardigheidsattest van NARIC (indien reeds in jouw bezit)

We aanvaarden geen sollicitaties die per e-mail worden doorgestuurd of sollicitaties waarbij (een van) bovenstaande documenten ontbreken.

De UGent voert een gelijke kansen- en diversiteitsbeleid en moedigt dan ook iedereen aan om te solliciteren.

MEER INFORMATIE

Voor meer informatie in verband met deze vacature kan je contact opnemen met Prof. Petra Campe (petra.campe@ugent.be) of via http://www.vtc.ugent.be/vacatures.

Call for papers: the imaginaries of translation

Following the great success of our workshop on the “Imaginaries of Translation”, which took place at the University of Sorbonne-Nouvelle on the 3rd and 4th of March 2017, we now wish to extend our reflections on the theory and practice of translation and to encourage innovative and comparative perspectives.

The connections that are developed between translation studies and comparative literature reveal the complexity of such hybrid disciplines and emphasize the importance of rethinking their identity and their special characteristics. In fact, this subject was at the centre of attention during the 11th Congress that was organized by the International Association of Comparative Literature (1985). In his introduction, José Lambert defined translation as a dynamic field and underscored its increasing interactions with other disciplines. It is therefore desirable to grasp translation, not only from the viewpoint of literature, but also from the viewpoint of the history of knowledge and social practices (F. Rastier: 2011; A. Guillaume: 2015; Y. Chevrel, J.-Y. Masson: 2015). Furthermore, it seems necessary to rethink translation through the prism of philosophy, poetics, studies on the imaginary, and finally, to consider it as an art and not as a branch of applied linguistics.

Indeed, as argued by G. Lane-Mercier, comparative literature and translation studies are intrinsically linked because of their common centrifugal, nomadic or “cartographic” aims as well as their common propensity to the intersection, the realignment and the crossing of borders. It is, in fact, through such processes that these two disciplines become fields of major conflict and of major synthesis.

In this framework, we wish to envisage a process of hybridization between translation studies and the studies on the imaginary. In order to achieve this goal, we will consider the notion of the imaginary in translation as a divergence from what has been defined as “the theory of the linguistic imaginary” (Glissant 1996; 2010; Houdebine 2002).

Our approach to the imaginary in translation is twofold:

On the one hand, we take into consideration the ways in which the imagination is involved in the “socio-symbolic elaboration of translation practices” (Antonio Lavieri: 2007, 2010). In this regard, we can articulate an “imaginary of translation” or a “representation of translation” which is depicted in the use of metaphors, stereotypes or narratives. We will thus focus on the representations, the narratives, the metaphors and the myths that are associated with the act of translation. These practices can be traced in theoretical texts as well as in paratexts.

On the other hand, when it comes to the study of translated texts, it is crucial to observe the process by which the imaginary and the imagination of translators –also in relation to the collective imagination-, play a decisive role in the act of translation (Raimondo 2016a 2016b). It is, indeed, noteworthy that many translational solutions derive from the creative imagination of translators, which is in its turn embodied in linguistic and poetic choices, as can be seen, for example, in the works of Collinge (2000) or Verger (2010). In this regard, it is possible to rethink translation studies from a “genetic” perspective that is enhanced in the light of new studies on the notion of the imaginary. This second part explores the imaginaries of translation and the psyche of translators in relation to texts. In a certain way and with certain cautiousness, we can also speak of “the psychology of translations”.

We, therefore, hope to unearth the relationships between the act of translation and the history of knowledge (Rastier 2011, Guillaume 2015, Chevrel and Masson 2015) through the prism of interdisciplinarity (Bassnett and Lefevre 1998; see Ladmiral 2006: 109-125). We also wish to propose a coherent system that takes into account both the linguistic dimension and the socio-cultural substratum (Bassnett 1998: 10), which will help to define the complex factors underpinning literary translation. Through this attempt, we envisage to widen the scope of translation, to improve the effectiveness of its analytical and hermeneutical tools and to expand its “spheres of influence” (Guillaume 2014, 2016) or “spheres of existence” (Ballard 2016).

In order to achieve our goals, we will examine translation through the prism of the so-called “circumstances of the imaginary production” (Van Eynde: 2005). Indeed, it is possible to notice that the “active imagination” (Jung: 1970) of the translator is, consciously or unconsciously, embodied in his/her linguistic, stylistic and poetic choices. In this regard, we will put forward Ricœur’s “poetics of will” (P. Ricœur: 1986) which will help us trace a number of phenomena and experiences that are situated “between theory and practice” (P. Ricœur: 1986). Furthermore, we will base our research on the conception of the imagination that was articulated by Giambattista Vico in his doctrine of the “fantastic universals” that appeared in his work Scienza nova (1744). According to Vico, imagination is considered in relation to its link with the historical and the poetic. Finally, we will look into the work of Olivier Rimbault (2015: 24-28), which evokes Carl Gustav Jung (1993) and Gilbert Durand (1984) and envisages the existence of a common imaginary structure in cultural discourse. According to Rimbault, a common “matrix zone” (2016) can be found at the origin of archetypes and ideas.

For our upcoming publication, we welcome academic articles that focus on, but are not limited to, the following categories:

  • the “socio-symbolic” imaginary of translation
  • representations, narratives, metaphors and myths in translation
  • the translator’s psyche
  • the imaginary of the exotic in translation
  • the imaginary of translation and its connection to the notion of violence
  • the act of translation in connection to the translator’s imagination
  • mystical approaches to translation
  • philosophical imaginaries in translation
  • political imaginaries in translation
  • imaginaries between sourciers and ciblistes
  • psychoanalysis and the imaginaries of translation
  • the psychology of translation
  • the imaginary in the translation of the founding texts
  • the translator’s representations in literature and in art
  • imaginary and the “Beautiful Infidels”
  • traductology, semiotics and the experience of the imaginary

 

Contributions are expected to be based on the bibliographic references cited below, as well as on the theoretical background that was elaborated during our workshop (see www.imagotrad.hypotheses.org/120).

The articles should not exceed 10,000-15,000 characters (bibliography included) and should be sent to the addresses below in two formats (WORD and PDF) and in two copies (a signed and an anonymous one) before the 30th of August 2017. The articles should be accompanied by an abstract in English and in French (150/200 words for each abstract) and a brief bio-bibliography in English and in French (150/200 words for each bio-bibliography).

Authors are kindly requested to respect the rules of this call for papers. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

The authors will be notified as soon as their proposals have been accepted and will be asked to format their text according to the editorial policies.

 

Contacts:

raimondo.riccardo@yahoo.it

ths.vuong@gmail.com

bezari.christina@gmail.com

Call for papers: The imaginaries of translation

 

Following the great success of our workshop on the “Imaginaries of Translation”, which took place at the University of Sorbonne-Nouvelle on the 3rd and 4th of March 2017, we now wish to extend our reflections on the theory and practice of translation and to encourage innovative and comparative perspectives.

The connections that are developed between translation studies and comparative literature reveal the complexity of such hybrid disciplines and emphasize the importance of rethinking their identity and their special characteristics. In fact, this subject was at the centre of attention during the 11th Congress that was organized by the International Association of Comparative Literature (1985). In his introduction, José Lambert defined translation as a dynamic field and underscored its increasing interactions with other disciplines. It is therefore desirable to grasp translation, not only from the viewpoint of literature, but also from the viewpoint of the history of knowledge and social practices (F. Rastier: 2011; A. Guillaume: 2015; Y. Chevrel, J.-Y. Masson: 2015). Furthermore, it seems necessary to rethink translation through the prism of philosophy, poetics, studies on the imaginary, and finally, to consider it as an art and not as a branch of applied linguistics.

Indeed, as argued by G. Lane-Mercier, comparative literature and translation studies are intrinsically linked because of their common centrifugal, nomadic or “cartographic” aims as well as their common propensity to the intersection, the realignment and the crossing of borders. It is, in fact, through such processes that these two disciplines become fields of major conflict and of major synthesis.

In this framework, we wish to envisage a process of hybridization between translation studies and the studies on the imaginary. In order to achieve this goal, we will consider the notion of the imaginary in translation as a divergence from what has been defined as “the theory of the linguistic imaginary” (Glissant 1996; 2010; Houdebine 2002).

Our approach to the imaginary in translation is twofold:

On the one hand, we take into consideration the ways in which the imagination is involved in the “socio-symbolic elaboration of translation practices” (Antonio Lavieri: 2007, 2010). In this regard, we can articulate an “imaginary of translation” or a “representation of translation” which is depicted in the use of metaphors, stereotypes or narratives. We will thus focus on the representations, the narratives, the metaphors and the myths that are associated with the act of translation. These practices can be traced in theoretical texts as well as in paratexts.

On the other hand, when it comes to the study of translated texts, it is crucial to observe the process by which the imaginary and the imagination of translators –also in relation to the collective imagination-, play a decisive role in the act of translation (Raimondo 2016a 2016b). It is, indeed, noteworthy that many translational solutions derive from the creative imagination of translators, which is in its turn embodied in linguistic and poetic choices, as can be seen, for example, in the works of Collinge (2000) or Verger (2010). In this regard, it is possible to rethink translation studies from a “genetic” perspective that is enhanced in the light of new studies on the notion of the imaginary. This second part explores the imaginaries of translation and the psyche of translators in relation to texts. In a certain way and with certain cautiousness, we can also speak of “the psychology of translations”.

We, therefore, hope to unearth the relationships between the act of translation and the history of knowledge (Rastier 2011, Guillaume 2015, Chevrel and Masson 2015) through the prism of interdisciplinarity (Bassnett and Lefevre 1998; see Ladmiral 2006: 109-125). We also wish to propose a coherent system that takes into account both the linguistic dimension and the socio-cultural substratum (Bassnett 1998: 10), which will help to define the complex factors underpinning literary translation. Through this attempt, we envisage to widen the scope of translation, to improve the effectiveness of its analytical and hermeneutical tools and to expand its “spheres of influence” (Guillaume 2014, 2016) or “spheres of existence” (Ballard 2016).

In order to achieve our goals, we will examine translation through the prism of the so-called “circumstances of the imaginary production” (Van Eynde: 2005). Indeed, it is possible to notice that the “active imagination” (Jung: 1970) of the translator is, consciously or unconsciously, embodied in his/her linguistic, stylistic and poetic choices. In this regard, we will put forward Ricœur’s “poetics of will” (P. Ricœur: 1986) which will help us trace a number of phenomena and experiences that are situated “between theory and practice” (P. Ricœur: 1986). Furthermore, we will base our research on the conception of the imagination that was articulated by Giambattista Vico in his doctrine of the “fantastic universals” that appeared in his work Scienza nova (1744). According to Vico, imagination is considered in relation to its link with the historical and the poetic. Finally, we will look into the work of Olivier Rimbault (2015: 24-28), which evokes Carl Gustav Jung (1993) and Gilbert Durand (1984) and envisages the existence of a common imaginary structure in cultural discourse. According to Rimbault, a common “matrix zone” (2016) can be found at the origin of archetypes and ideas.

For our upcoming publication, we welcome academic articles that focus on, but are not limited to, the following categories:

  • the “socio-symbolic” imaginary of translation
  • representations, narratives, metaphors and myths in translation
  • the translator’s psyche
  • the imaginary of the exotic in translation
  • the imaginary of translation and its connection to the notion of violence
  • the act of translation in connection to the translator’s imagination
  • mystical approaches to translation
  • philosophical imaginaries in translation
  • political imaginaries in translation
  • imaginaries between sourciers and ciblistes
  • psychoanalysis and the imaginaries of translation
  • the psychology of translation
  • the imaginary in the translation of the founding texts
  • the translator’s representations in literature and in art
  • imaginary and the “Beautiful Infidels”
  • traductology, semiotics and the experience of the imaginary

 

Contributions are expected to be based on the bibliographic references cited below, as well as on the theoretical background that was elaborated during our workshop (see www.imagotrad.hypotheses.org/120).

The articles should not exceed 10,000-15,000 characters (bibliography included) and should be sent to the addresses below in two formats (WORD and PDF) and in two copies (a signed and an anonymous one) before the 30th of August 2017. The articles should be accompanied by an abstract in English and in French (150/200 words for each abstract) and a brief bio-bibliography in English and in French (150/200 words for each bio-bibliography).

Authors are kindly requested to respect the rules of this call for papers. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

The authors will be notified as soon as their proposals have been accepted and will be asked to format their text according to the editorial policies.

 

Contacts:

raimondo.riccardo@yahoo.it

ths.vuong@gmail.com

bezari.christina@gmail.com