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Archives: April 2003
Tue Apr 22, 2003
Secuencias. Tareas para el aprendizaje interactivo de la traducción especializada
The success of Translation Studies in the eighties brought about a great interest in theoretical and ideological issues related to the field. However, translation teaching was usually still based on the instruction: "read and translate". This situation has changed only recently with publications that put forward the latest pedagogical trends where student-centred classes and student-student and teacher-student interaction replace traditional frontal teaching. Task-based teaching seems to be one of the most popular methods to achieve these goals: it is based on sequencing the translation activities to favour meaningful learning and learner autonomy.
The coauthors of this book all teach at the Facultat de Ciències Humanes, Traducció i Documentació at the University of Vic (Spain) and have explored and put this method into practice in their classes for almost ten years. They would now like to share their experience and teaching material related to six translation areas: audiovisual, scientific, literary, legal, computer, and psychopedagogy.
The activities and tasks presented here do not depend on a specific language combination and can be adapted to most teaching situations.
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Sat Apr 19, 2003
Literary Translation: Quest for Artistic Integrity
Is it realistic to expect great literature of one language to be re-presented artistically intact in another language? Literary Translation: Quest for Artistic Integrity is a systematic delineation of a practical approach toward that seemingly idealist aim. A summing up of a career devoted to the study of literary translation enriched with the experience of translating between several languages, it offers a clear and thorough exposition of the theory behind Professor Jin's monumental achievement in producing a worthy Chinese Ulysses, illustrated with a profusion of enlightening and instructive examples not only from his own work, but also from that of many others, including some world-famous translators. This makes Literary Translation an invaluable reference to translators of literature between almost any pair of languages, not just Chinese and English. It will also be of considerable interest to teachers and critics of twentieth-century literature in English, to students of Modernism, to researchers in comparative literature and in comparative culture, and to teachers of language.
For his Chinese Ulysses, JIN has been awarded Best Book Prize (Lianho Pao, Taipei, 1994), National Rainbow Award for Superior Literary Translation (Chinese Association of Writers, 1997) and 1st-class National Prize for Foreign Literary Work (Chinese Bureau of Publications and Society of Publishers in Foreign Literature, 1998). His works on translation include studies in Babel, Translation Review, James Joyce Quarterly and the prize-winning On Translation (in collaboration with Eugene Nida, Beijing, 1983).
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Mon Apr 14, 2003
Crossing Barriers and Bridging Cultures: The Challenges of Multilingual Translation for the European Union
In the past ten years the problems of translation in multilingual environments have attracted increasing attention both inside and outside Europe. The European Community has been the source and the sponsor of many such debates and publications, because of its ambitious project to enable Europe to speak with one voice but in many languages. The perception of the interrelatedness of the challenges of multilingual translation and the complex field of multilingualism has increased among European translators over the last decade. This book is designed to take stock of the work under way and of the on-going debate in the profession. More...
Thu Apr 03, 2003
Translating Italy for the Eighteenth Century: British Women, Translation and Travel Writing (1739-1797)
Translating Italy for the Eighteenth Century offers a historical analysis of the role played by translation in that complex redefinition of women’s writing that was taking place in Britain in the second half of the eighteenth century. It investigates the ways in which women writers managed to appropriate images of Italy and adapt them to their own purposes in a period which covers the ‘moral turn’ in women’s writing in the 1740s and foreshadows the Romantic interest in Italy at the end of the century.
In a period in which female literary productions were relegated to the margins of the British cultural system, women made use of foreign models in order to back up their claims to a new cultural authority. The Gothic novel of Ann Radcliffe is the starting point of this research, as it represents one of the most successful cases of the appropriation of Italian images by a woman. The author then moves back in time in order to trace the emergence of eighteenth-century women’s interest in Italy. A brief survey of translations produced by women in the period 1730-1799 provides an overview of the genres favoured by women translators, such as the moral novel, sentimental play and a type of conduct literature of a distinctively ‘proto-feminist’ character. Elizabeth Carter’s translation of Francesco Algarotti’s II Newtonianesimo per le Dame (1739) is one of the best examples of the latter kind of texts. A close reading of the English translation indicates a ‘proto-feminist’ exploitation of the myth of Italian women’s cultural prestige.
Another genre increasingly accessible to women, namely travel writing, confirms this female interest in Italy. Female travellers who visited Italy in the second half of the century, such as Hester Piozzi, observed the state of women’s education through the lenses provided by Carter. Piozzi’s image of Italy, a paradoxical mixture of imagination and realistic observation, became a powerful symbolic source, which enabled the fictional image of a modern, relatively egalitarian British society to take shape.
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Apropos of Ideology: Translation of Ideologies - Ideologies in Translation Studies
Today’s worldwide ideological tensions have captured the interest of such varied disciplines as political science, anthropology, sociology, cultural studies and linguistics. There are two primary reasons why translation studies cannot ignore the ideological debate. Historically, translation has always been a site for ideological clashes. In addition, globalization is now setting off translational mechanisms even within monolingual artifacts, and this calls for the expertise of translation scholars.
Apropos of Ideology aims to contribute to the broader discussion of ideology by providing a forum for debating ideological issues in translation as well as by bringing together, within the pages of a single volume, different types of translation research, informed by very different research ideologies. Adopting a wide definition of ideology as a set of ideas, beliefs and codes of behaviour that “govern a community by virtue of being regarded as the norm”, a number of translation scholars look into ideological phenomena as they impinge on the process of translation. They consider questions of politics, but also reflect upon gender, sexuality, religion, secularity, technology and even the very discipline of translation studies. At the same time, the volume displays the kaleidoscopic complexity of the discipline while providing a strong argument that such diversity of perspectives is highly desirable.
Contributors include Maria Tymoczko, Rosemary Arrojo, Christiane Nord, Keith Harvey, Peter Fawcett, Ma Carmen Africa Vidal, Christina Schäffner, David Katan, Francesco Straniero-Sergio, and Şehnaz Tahir.
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Bible Translation: Frames of Reference
This book offers a broad-based, contemporary perspective on Bible translation in terms of academic areas foundational to the endeavour: translation studies, communication theory, linguistics, cultural studies, biblical studies and literary and rhetorical studies. The discussion of each area is geared towards non-specialists, to introduce them to notions, trends and tools that can contribute to their understanding of translation.
The Bible translator is encouraged to appreciate various approaches to translation in view of the wide variety of communicative, organizational and sociocultural situations in which translation occurs. However, literary representation of the Scriptures receives special attention since it has been neglected in earlier, influential works on Bible translation.
The contributors are translation consultants for the United Bible Societies. They have worked with translation projects in various media and in languages ranging from those of a few hundred speakers to international languages, in Africa, the Americas and Asia.
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Advertising Cultures
Through its artful engagement of consumers, advertising subtly shapes our everyday worlds. It plays upon powerful emotions – envy, fear, lust and ambition. But the industry itself is far more subtle and complex than many people might assume. Through an innovative mix of business strategy and cultural theory, this pioneering book provides a behind-the-scenes analysis of the link between advertising and larger cultural forces, as well as a rare look into the workings of an agency itself.
How do advertisements endeavour to capture ‘real’ life? How do advertising agencies think of their audience: the consumer and their corporate client? What issues do agencies have to consider when using an advertisement in a range of different countries? What specific methods are used to persuade us not only to buy but to remain loyal to a product? How do advertisers fan consumer desire?
An incisive understanding of human behaviour is at the core of all these questions and is what unites advertisers and anthropologists in their work. While this link may come as a surprise to those who consider the former to be firmly rooted in commerce and the latter in culture, this book clearly shows that these two fields share a surprising number of convergences. From constructing a ‘Japaneseness’ that appeals to two very different Western audiences, to tracking advertising changes in the post World War II period, to considering how people can be influenced by language and symbols, Advertising Cultures is an indispensable guide to consumer behaviour for practitioners and students alike.
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Translating Cultures: Perspectives on Translation and Anthropology
The task of the anthropologist is to take ideas, concepts and beliefs from one culture and translate them into first another language, and then into the language of anthropology. This process is both fascinating and complex. Not only does it raise questions about the limitations of language, but it also challenges the ability of the anthropologist to communicate culture accurately. In recent years, postmodern theories have tended to call into question the legitimacy of translation altogether. This book acknowledges the problems involved, but shows definitively that ‘translating cultures’ can successfully be achieved.
The way we talk, write, read and interpret are all part of a translation process. Many of us are not aware of translation in our everyday lives, but for those living outside their native culture, surrounded by cultural difference, the ability to translate experiences and thoughts becomes a major issue. Drawing on case studies and theories from a wide range of disciplines -including anthropology, philosophy, linguistics, art history, folk theory, and religious studies - this book systematically interrogates the meaning, complexities and importance of translation in anthropology and answers a wide range of provocative questions, such as:
· Can we unravel the true meaning of the Christian doctrine of trinity when there have been so many translations?
· What impact do colonial and postcolonial power structures have on our understanding of other cultures?
· How can we use art as a means of transgressing the limitations of linguistic translation?
Translating Cultures: Perspectives on Translation and Anthropology is the first book fully to address translation in anthropology. It combines textual and ethnographic analysis to produce a benchmark publication that will be of great importance to anthropologists, philosophers, linguists, historians, and cultural theorists alike.
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The Interpreter's Guide (Arabic)
Written by a renowned expert in the field, this new book focuses on the dynamics of interpreting; its techniques, modes, conditions and prerequisites. It presents an easy-to-follow guide for interpreting students and practitioners to help them achieve accreditation and perform better. Drawing on state-of-the-art theories and models, on 30 years of experience as a practitioner in the Arab World, Britain and Australia, and on 10 years of experience as a university teacher and examiner, the author has written an accessible guide to the art and science of interpreting. This book is the ideal guide for students, practitioners and teachers of Arabic/English interpreting.
Contents
Preface: About this book
Introduction: What is Interpreting
Chapter 1: Bilingual Communication
Chapter 2: Types and Modes of Interpreting (Liaison, Simultaneous, Consecutive, Telephone etc)
Chapter 3: Memory and Interpreting
Chapter 4: Prerequisites of Interpreting
Chapter 5: The Role of the Interpreter
Chapter 6: Principles of Interpreting
Chapter 7: Elocution, Pronunciation and Public Speaking
Chapter 8: Body Language
Chapter 9: Note-taking
Chapter 10: Implicature and Inference in Interpreting
Chapter 11: Liaison Interpreting
Chapter 12: Simultaneous Interpreting
Chapter 13: Consecutive Interpreting
Chapter 14: Ethics of the Profession
Chapter 15: Questions of Ethics
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Class, Nation and Identity - The Anthropology of Political Movements
Jeff Pratt argues for the need to set up a new analytical framework that extends the study of identity formation, and the ethnographic analysis of economic and social processes, to all political movements. Setting up a new analytical framework, he argues that political processes involve two linked components: a 'discourse' (an identity narrative which positions us within social history) and a 'movement' (the process of organisation whereby local social divisions are transformed by their incorporation into a wider movement). He illustrates his arguments with a vivid mix of case studies from across the last century, including Basque nationalism, Andalusian anarchism, Italian communism, the break-up of Yugoslavia, to the 'newer' poitical movements in Europe, in French Occitania and the Italian Lega Nord. More...