Reception and Translation Studies (RG 6)

Reception and Translation Studies (RG 6)

Principal Researcher: Zsófia Gombár

Number of researchers: 14 - Integrated members (with PhD): 5 / PhD students: 4 / Other researchers: 6

General description

RG6 Reception and Translation Studies fosters and disseminates research on translation as a cultural, social and historical phenomenon by implementing fundamental and applied research and dissemination projects. The ultimate aim is to better understand, describe and explain the role of translation in society, considering its context and conditioning factors, with a special emphasis on English as source language for translation in Portugal.
In terms of methods, RG6 holds general meetings, where individual and sub-group research projects’ ongoing work is presented and discussed so as to foster dialogue and synergies among the related but still distinct fields of literary, audiovisual, ESP translation represented by members. Subgroup project meetings are also scheduled as often as needed, in order to present and discuss results and problems as well as to plan future tasks. Meetings are also held in order to provide feedback on individual research, discuss problems and provide regular supervision to 4 doctoral students (Menezes, Coelho, Morgado, Martins). Meetings are held to discuss new research projects and exchange information on applications for competitive funding.

Keywords: Translation and Reception Studies; Literary Translation; Audiovisual Translation; ESP Translation.

Specific aim and scope of research (object definition, main research questions, theoretical and/or applied)

In order to understand, describe and explain what translation is, address its conditioning factors and its impact, RG6 has several concrete goals:

(1) Contributing to translation production and research in the area of audiovisual translation with the FCT-funded project “Remembering the Past, Learning for the Future: Research-Based Digital Learning from Testimonies of Survivors and Rescuers of the Holocaust”;

(2) Mapping Translation in Portugal, by continued participation in the joint ULICES-CECC project “Intercultural Literature in Portugal, 1930-2000: A Critical Bibliography” (in partnership with CECC-UCP) and by leading projects focused on the study of indirect or mediated translation (IndirecTrans1 and IndirecTrans2);

(3) Supervising ongoing doctoral and post-doctoral research projects in Translation Studies on translational norms regarding linguistic variation in literary and audiovisual texts, the influence of paratexts in translation reading strategies, on the role played by translation in importing literary and non-literary genres, especially within the current framework of the hegemony of the English language;

(4) Making research results available, in Portugal and abroad, by organizing national and international scientific events in Translation and Reception Studies, such as promoting regular talks (Translation Cafe, ETC… Talks on Translation Studies) as well as conferences “Jornadas de Estudos de Tradução” (JET), organizing international scientific events and panels in international conferences; and by coordinating or participating in high impact and visibility publications;

(5) fostering international cooperation, by welcoming foreign trainees (temporary) and integrating new high quality doctoral or postdoctoral researchers into RG6; participating in international associations, and editorial boards of international series and journals; and

(6) encouraging the preparation of research projects and the submission of applications for national and international competitive funding.

 

Milestones/main achievements

(1) The online open access database “Intercultural Literature in Portugal, 1930-2000: A Critical Bibliography” currently holds c. 27 000 entries 1930-1990 (ongoing ULICES-CECC project). The joint team has finished consultation of bibliographical information and volumes printing literature translated from any source language and published in Portugal 1930-1990; revising data and making them available online. URL: http://www.translatedliteratureportugal.org; Coordination: Zsófia Gombár (ULICES).

(2) Publication of 7 high visibility and impact volumes and special issues (among other publications):

(3) Creation of online plaform for an international network of researchers IndirecTrans2. Centros e Periferias: Tradução Indirecta em Trocas Interculturais; Coordination: HPieta, LIvaska and RMaia; ULICES Team Members: AMSantos, AARosa, RMenezes, SValdez, ETorres-Simón. url: http://www.indirectrans.com/index.html

(4) Convening regular etc... Talks on Translation Studies organized since 2011 (ongoing dissemination project) (current team: Coordination: AARosa; Team Members 2015: RQBarros, IMealha, ECabrita, SValdez) (Ongoing dissemination project)

Convening 3 JET-One-day Conferences on Translation Studies (http://www.etc.ulices.org/jet)

  • JET1 - “Voice in Indirect Translation”, 10-11 July 2013
    JET2 – “International English and Translation”, 3-4 December 2014
    JET3 – “Voice in Translation: Ethical Issues”, 6 November 2017

Projects (titles)

 

2021-... Remembering the Past, Learning for the Future: Research-Based Digital Learning from Testimonies of Survivors and Rescuers of the Holocaust is an international research project, funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) [ID 740639658], coordinated by Zsófia Gombár. Via the international partnership (USC Shoah Foundation, Zachor Foundation, Eötvös Loránd University, and the University of Luxembourg), researchers of the Research Group GI6 will develop materials for educators and the general public and carry out related activities using testimony from witnesses and survivors of the Holocaust through digital tools, and with innovative pedagogical methodology. The educational material will be published for the first time in Portuguese on the USC Shoah Foundation’s international IWitness digital education platform: https://iwitness.usc.edu/sfi/

For more information, see: https://holocaustinportugal.letras.ulisboa.pt/

 

2007-... Intercultural Literature in Portugal, 1930-2000: A Critical Bibliography This 2007-initiated research project brings together two Portuguese research centres the Centre for Culture and Communication Studies, Catholic University of Portugal, Lisbon (CECC-UCP), and the University of Lisbon Centre for English Studies (ULICES). This joint research project is currently developed under supervision of Teresa Seruya (CECC), Zsófia Gombár (ULICES) and Maria Lin Moniz (CECC), and aims to produce a critical bibliography of translated literature published in book-form in Portugal between 1930 and 2000. As such, it contributes to Translation Studies in Portugal by bridging the chronological gap between 1930 and 2000 left uncovered by the seminal work A Tradução em Portugal, by Gonçalves Rodrigues, the five volumes of which intended to map translation of all text types in Portugal between 1495 and 1930. This project has so far produced c. 27 000 entries covering the years 1930-1990 and this database is available online as an open-access database since December 2010.
URL: http://translatedliteratureportugal.org/eng/index.htm

 

2007-…: Anthology of Short Stories in English Translated into Portuguese. This research and translation project aims to publish a selection of short stories by contemporary English language writers, by recovering selected MA projects in Literary Translation by University of Lisbon students, (jointly) supervised by members of this RG. This project benefits from the cooperation of the conference president of the Society for the Study of the Short Story in English and is supervised by João de Almeida Flor, Alexandra Assis Rosa, Luísa Falcão, and Margarida Vale de Gato. This anthology comprises the Portuguese translation of short stories by Clark Blaise, Robert Olen Butler, Ana Castillo, Tamas Dobozy, Claire Keegan, Bharati Mukherjee, Velma Pollard, (Society for the Study of the Short Story in English) as well as by Anita Endrezze, Salman Rushdie and Katherine Vaz.

2015-2018: IndirecTrans2: Centres and Peripheries: Indirect Translation in Intercultural ExchangesIndirecTrans 2 has been envisaged as a spin-off follow-up large-scale international project of the exploratory national project running between 2013 and 2014 as ULICES RG6 IndirecTrans 1: Indirect Translations of English Literature Published in Portugal (1901–1950). The ultimate aim has been to foreground and explore the so far understudied concept(s) of indirectness in Translation Studies, and employ them in empirical research on translations.
url: http://www.indirectrans.com/index.html