"Texts in Contexts: New Cultural Constellations in Translation Studies", to be held April 14, 15, 16, Announces Panels, Workshops and Author Conversations

Doha, 30 March 2013: The Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII) of Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development and Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (BQFP) have just announced this year's conference program  which is to attract a broad range of audiences. The keynote addresses, which are open to the public, are also a valuable platform for the exploration of theoretical and literary translation discussions. Dr. Ovidi Carbonell Cortés from the University of Salamanca will analyze the perspectives on Arabic-Spanish translation, while Samuel Shimon will describe the past and present state of literary translation based on his experience as founder/editor of Banipal Magazine.

The Fourth Annual Translation Conference features three panels, focusing on this year's theme, "Texts in Contexts: New Cultural Constellations in Translation Studies." The call for papers attracted contributions from regional and international scholars specialized in translation studies. The presentations will address theoretical and cultural questions related to translation, starting from the Tower of Babel, Abbasid Era, and Chinese tradition, to contemporary discussions of English and French translation of classical Sufi poetry, The Thousand and One Night, and Alaa al-Aswany's The Yacoubian Building. In addition, there will be a presentation on translating the Qur'an into English.

" 'Texts in Contexts' is an annual event that aims to enrich academic and cultural fields by demonstrating the importance of translation as a dialogue between cultures and nations and fostering discussions and debates among local, regional and international academics and professionals," explains Dr. Amal Al-Malki, Executive Director of TII.

Participating in these panels are scholars from the University of Salamanca, Spain, University of Texas at Austin in the United States, Concordia University in Canada, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Amsterdam, American University of Sharjah, and United Arab Emirates University.

The Director of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Dr. Moneera Al-Ghadeer states, "The interdisciplinary topics and international participations draw attention to Translation and Interpreting Institute's role in contributing to translation studies globally and regionally.  By hosting this conference TII shows that the Arab World is a crucial translation site while emphasizing the contributions of Arabs in the translation of philosophy and other sciences during Abbasid and al-ʼAndalus periods."

This year's morning workshops  will allow the translators to interact with Iraqi novelist Samuel Shimon and Egyptian poet Mostafa Ibrahim and understand literary translation as a process. The three-day workshops in literary translation will explore challenges such as colloquialisms in Arabic and English and conveying cultural concepts.

Director of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, Hanouf  Al  Buainain comments: "It has been remarkable seeing the conference evolve over the past four years. The Translation Conference has become a multidisciplinary platform that combines academics, translators, and authors in a unique way.  It also takes publishing outside of its normal confines when people at the conference are privy to the literary translation process."  

The afternoon workshops will focus on the rising media industry in the Arab world. Dr. Ashraf Abdel Fattah, Senior Interpreter at the Al Jazeera Arabic Channel, will outline theory and practice " in the Approaches to Media Translation" workshop. Also, the conference will offer an "Audiovisual Translation" Workshop that will explore the best subtitling practices using specialized computer software.

A new component in this year's conference is the Author Conversations in which authors talk about literary and theoretical translation in relation to their works. Dr. Amal Al-Malki will discuss her latest book, Arab Women in Arab News, with Dr. Moneera Al-Ghadeer, who will address translating Bedouin women's poetry in Desert Voices.  The final Author Conversation centers on fiction with novelist Fadia Faqir who will talk about her own experience as a writer in translation. 

The full conference program is available online at www.tii.qa/conference. Space is limited, early registration for workshops is encouraged.  The keynote addresses, panels, and author conversations are open to the public. There are no fees associated with the conference. 

© Press Release 2013