Title: “Building Corpora for Translator Education: methodology and applications”

Speaker: Dr. Wallace Chen (speaking in Chinese, interpreted by student interpreters)

Date: November 17 (Tue) 12:15 – 1:45                Place: Irvine

This presentation outlines a corpus-based approach to teaching and researching translation. Some fundamental concepts of corpus linguistics will be introduced, followed by a discussion on the rationale of using corpora in translator education. A major component of the presentation will deal with the design of translation corpora, commercial vs. do-it-yourself (disposable) corpora, monolingual and multilingual corpora, and corpus query methodology. Some potential uses of corpora in translator education will be elaborated, and a number of pilot projects on the construction of translation corpora will be presented. As an experiment, the presentation will also touch upon the use of corpus methodology on the assessment of sight translation assignments. A corpus-based approach to assessing translation offers the following advantages: systematic identification of common translation issues, increasing understanding of translation patterns, and helping translation trainees learn from examples. Finally, it is argued that the building and use of translation corpora should be an integral part of any T&I curricula, and such large-scale collection of translation projects and assignments is an indispensable resource for conducting empirical research on translation and interpretation at the MA and PhD levels.

Who: María Sierra Córdoba Serrano (speaking in Spanish, interpreted by student interpreters)

What: The Spanish-Language Translation Publishing Market: A Case Study in the Sociology of Translation

When: Tomorrow, November 3 (Tue) 12:15 – 1:45

Where: Irvine Auditorium

Recently, much has been written about the “Sociological Turn” in Translation Studies. Indeed, some scholars have gone so far as to claim that we are dealing with a new “paradigmatic shift” (Inghilleri, 2005: 125).

Without endorsing Inghilleri’s view, I will certainly admit that new ground has been broken: sociologically oriented approaches to Translation Studies have led to an important shift from the study of texts to the study of people and institutions (translators, publishers, cultural institutions, etc.).

To explore this innovation the sociological turn has brought to translation studies, I will first introduce the subfield of the sociology of translation, an interdisciplinary area translation scholars have begun to explore in recent years. The second part of my talk will focus on a particular case study: the Spanish-language translation market (the biggest for books in translation in the world; The Economist, 19th-25th January 2008, p. 71). Particular emphasis will be placed on the Spanish-language translations published and/or distributed in the U.S. The emergent Spanish publishing market in the United States is of special interest because it challenges traditional territorial and national conceptualizations of culture – succinctly expressed by the 19th-century axiom “language equals nation equals culture.” This major “delocalized” market is also the target of many Spanish-speaking publishing conglomerates, who see in it a profitable niche, given the ever-increasing Hispanic buying power in the U.S. (projected to grow from a present $1.1 trillion to $12.4 trillion by 2011).

Through an examination of four stakeholders groups—institutional agents (cultural attachés, diplomats, national book associations, etc.), international publishing conglomerates (e.g. Grupo Planeta, Santillana, etc.), small independent publishers (e.g. Era, LOM, Txalaparta ) and finally, intermediary agents (translators, scouts, etc.),—I will show the different logics and constraints (economic, political and cultural) that rule the circulation and reception of these translations.

The T&I Spanish Program of GSTILE is proud to present the twenty-fourth film in its Argentine Film Series. This is a continuing, free-of-charge event, open to all MIIS students, faculty, staff and guests. Films are in Spanish with English subtitles. The blockbuster comedy UN NOVIO PARA MI MUJER (A BOYFRIEND FOR MY WIFE, 2009) will be screened Tuesday, October 6 at 6:30 PM in Room B 104. The film stars award-winning actor and producer Adrián Suar as Valeria Bertuccelli’s husband. Valeria is the “perfect” manifestation of pessimism, bad vibes and constant nagging and whining. Adrián is so fed up with her that he tries to find a man who will seduce her, since he can’t bring himself to ask for a divorce.

A BOYFRIEND FOR MY WIFE has been recognized both by film critics and audiences alike, and has been nominated for four Silver Condor Awards—the statuette of the Argentine Film Critics Association—for Best Actor (Adrián Suar), Best Actress (Valeria Bertuccelli), Best Supporting Actor (Gabriel Goity) and Best Screenplay (Pablo Solarz).

Watch the trailer (in Spanish) on YouTube

Future screenings will include The Signal (November 10) and Argentina’s representative to the 2009 Oscars® Leonera.

Special screenings on demand. Please contact Prof. Marcos Celesia.

** See poster attached **