This conference looks like a line-up of the great and the good in audiovisual translation...
(Ignore the image, just one from my files that I thought suited the topic...)
Linguistic and cultural representation in audiovisual
translation
International Conference
Sapienza Università di Roma & Università degli
Studi di Roma Tre
Rome, 11-13 February 2016
Given the enormous and ever-increasing impact of
audiovisual products on the general public, the representations that audiovisual texts convey of
other languages and cultures cannot be underestimated. Films have been chief
players in the construction of linguistic and cultural identities (Kozloff
2000, Bleichenbacher 2008), which is always the result of an act of selection
of traits and features, both visual and verbal. Their critical role in
reinforcing negative stereotypes has not been overlooked by scholars
(Lippi-Green 1997), and so has the role of technical and ideological
manipulation in shaping audiovisual texts and their translation (Díaz-Cintas
2012), while the creative, positive role of films in constructing images of
other languages and cultures has been comparatively neglected by research, as
has the similar role played by audiovisual products other than cinematographic
films.
The translation process is a further step in the
direction of shaping representation. As Venuti (1998) points out,
“[t]ranslation wields enormous power in constructing representations of foreign
cultures” and translated audiovisual texts in particular have the power “to
produce insights into the cultures and languages represented” (Guillot 2012),
to add further layers of meanings and to create new webs of associations only
alluded to, if not altogether missing, in the original texts. Studies conducted
on dubbing and subtitling have shown the mimetic capacity of some linguistic
features to convey pragmatic meaning and sociolinguistic variation in both
source and target languages (Pavesi 2009). Particular emphasis has been placed
on audiovisual translation as a site of representational practice
(Pérez-González 2014), on the representations that translations convey, on
their serving as “a locus for (re)-negotiations of individual and group identities”,
“as a vehicle promoting crosscultural and cross-linguistic sensitivity”, and
“as agents of hybridisation of communicative practices” (Guillot 2012). The
linguistic resources employed by translators in the representation of language
varieties and communicative practices have also been an area of increased
scholarly interest (Brumme and Espunya 2012).
This conference aims to explore the expressive and
representational potential of the interplay of words, images, sounds and
silences on the screen focussing on the
negotiation of identity in audiovisual texts, and, more generally, on
audiovisual translation as a mode of intercultural exchange. Linguistic and
cultural representation will be ideally investigated from various viewpoints:
that of the power of script-writers and translators to create, reinforce or
undermine assumptions about the foreign language and culture represented; that
of the audiences who negotiate the representations and meanings conveyed by
audiovisual texts; that of stylistic and generic conventions, which contribute
to shaping cultural and linguistic representation via established features and
topoi in both source and target texts; and that of participatory translation
practices, which are playing an important role in challenging and reshaping
established representational schemas and conventions.
We encourage proposals for presentations (20 minutes +
questions) on all areas of linguistic and cultural analysis of audiovisual
texts, as well as on audiovisual translation. Intersections with related areas
of research, such as film and television studies, which are advocated (Chaume
2004) but still under-researched, are especially welcome. Topics for
presentations may include, but are not restricted to, the following:
- Linguistic and cultural representation in audiovisual texts;
- Representational practices in AVT (e.g. the
representation of orality in both fictional and non-fictional audiovisual
genres, the representation of identity and difference);
- Cross-cultural and cross-linguistic perspectives
(e.g. communicative practices and their representation);
- Representation and audience perception;
- Translators’ representations of viewers (e.g.
translators’ assumptions about their audience);
- Representation and accessibility;
- Representational practices in non-professional
translation;
- The representational contribution of film,
television and other audiovisual media to contemporary culture;
- The social impact of tele-cinematic representation;
- Linguistic and cultural representation in specific
film and television genres (science fiction, war films, romantic comedies and
so on);
- Culture-specific references in original and
translated audiovisual products.
Submission Procedure:
Abstract deadline: 1st September 2015. Abstracts should be max 300 words
(excluding references) and include title of the contribution, name of the
author and affiliation. A brief bio-sketch of no more than 100 words should be
also included.
Notification of acceptance: 10th October 2015.
Language: English.
Invited speakers:
Frederic Chaume (Universitat
Jaume I, Castelló, Spain)
Marie-Noëlle Guillot
(University of East Anglia, UK)
Maria Pavesi (University of
Pavia, Italy)
Luis Pérez-González (University of Manchester, UK)
Scientific Committee:
Dr Rocío Baños-Piñeri (University
College London, UK)
Prof. Rosa Maria Bollettieri Bosinelli (University of
Bologna)
Prof. Silvia Bruti (University of Pisa)
Dr Elena Di Giovanni (University of Macerata)
Prof. Maria Freddi (University of Pavia)
Prof. Donatella Montini (Sapienza University of Rome)
Prof. Stefania Nuccorini (Roma Tre University)
Dr Irene Ranzato (Sapienza University of Rome)
Dr Annalisa Sandrelli (UNINT, Rome)
Prof. Mary Wardle (Sapienza University of Rome)
Prof. Monika Wozniak (Sapienza University of Rome)
Dr Serenella Zanotti (Roma Tre University)
Organisers:
Irene Ranzato (Sapienza University of Rome)
Monika Wozniak (Sapienza University of Rome)
Serenella Zanotti (Roma Tre University)
For queries regarding the conference please contact:
