2nd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ONEncounter with the human sciences
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4th LinCog - International Symposium on Language and Cognition
Towards a Translanguaging Lens for Translation/Interpreting Studies: Theory, Research and Practice |
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Han Lili & Wen Zhisheng (Edward) Macao Polytechnic Institute |
Abstract Originated from the Welsh revitalization education (Williams, 1994) and inspired by such established concepts of languaging (Merril Swain) and multicompetence (Vivian Cook), the concept of translanguaging has emerged as a practical and powerful theory of language education and communication (Li, 2018) to captivate the complex, dynamic, embodied, and adaptive interactions between human cognition and the superdiverse social-cultural milieu. The past two decades have witnessed exponential growth and ubiquitous permeation of the translanguaging lens being applied in a broad range of domains and disciplines spanning across humanities and social sciences and beyond. To further demystify and elucidate the potential contributions of the translanguaging theory to human cognition and language sciences, this paper aims to make a strong case and argue for a 'Translanguaging Turn' in translation and interpreting studies (cf. Baynham & Lee, 2019). Overall, we argue that translation and interpreting activities are by default translanguaging practices where translanguaging spaces are permeated and ubiquitous. From the translanguaging lens, translation and interpreting activities can be viewed as social-cognitive activities of meaning-making, in which the interpreter's multicompetence is interacting with the external environment and the broader social-cultural context. Externally, at the Macro societal level, all the engaging agents and stakeholders (e.g., the employer, publisher, translator/interpreter, audience, reader, etc.) in their dynamic interactions are spawning multilingual, multimodal and multisemiotic translanguaging spaces during interpreting. Furthermore, during interpreting, many multimodal and multisemiotic resources (terminology, glossary, dictionary, computer-aided tools, machine-translation, etc.) are available at the disposal of the translator/interpreter. Translanguaging spaces arising at this level can be categorized as the meso level that features multimodality. Internally, during the mental and cognitive processing of translation or interpreting tasks and activities (e.g., listening, comprehension, memory, note-taking, and production), the moment-by-moment interactions and decision-making processes are giving rise to translanguaging spaces at the micro level. Taken together, all three levels of analysis culminate in a unified theory of interpreting aptitude in line with the key tenets of the translanguaging theory (Han, Wen & Li, in press). We shall conclude the paper with a translanguaging research agenda for future investigations into translation and interpreting practice. Keywords: translation/interpreting, interpreting aptitude, translanguaging, translanguaging space, moment analysis, the 3M aptitude model |
Bio Lili Han (Ph.D., University of Lisbon) is currently an Associate Professor and Dean of the School of Languages and Translation of Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macau. Over the last decade, Dr. Han has lectured and conducted researches in translanguaging, interpreting studies, as a trainer for the Conference Interpreting (Chinese-Portuguese-English) course in partnership with the DGI (SCIC) of the European Commission. Her research interests include interpreting studies, intercultural studies, interpreting tests & assessment, and computer-aided interpreting. She is the new Deputy Director of the Portuguese CATTI (China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters) Specialist Committee and a member of the editorial board of the periodical journal Journal of Translation Studies (ISSN2673-6926). Her major publications include Translation Critics (2021, co-authored), Introduction to Chinese-Portuguese Interpretation (2020, co-authored), Luís Gonzaga Gomes – filho da Terra (2018, monograph), Portuguese Poets of Macau (2009, co-translation), and The Gentle Miracle (2018, translation of Eça de Queiroz). Dr. Han is currently working on an edited volume entitled "New perspectives on interpreting training: Insights from the Greater Bay Area" (Springer). |