The Third Asian Translation Traditions Conference:
(Ex)Change and Continuity in Translation Traditions
Boğaziçi University
Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies, Istanbul
October 22–24, 2008
The Third Asian Translation Traditions Conference will be held at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul on October 22–24, 2008. The conference is a sequel to two previous Asian Translation Tradition conferences held at the School of African and Oriental Studies in London (2004) and the Adivasi Academy in Tejgadh, India (2005). Like the previous two conferences, the third conference will challenge the Eurocentric bias of Translation Studies by exploring the richness and diversity of non-Western discourses and practices of translation. The focus will be on translational exchanges among non-Western languages and change and continuity in the translation traditions of specific cultures ensuing from contacts with other cultures. One day of the conference will be allocated to a discussion of the Ottoman/Turkish translation tradition. The organizers invite papers on any of the topics outlined below:
Pushing back geographic and conceptual boundaries
 | Overcoming the contestable and clichéd concepts of “East” and “West” as applied to Translation Studies, by clarifying whose East or West and when and where that discourse belongs to, what it deals with, and what it targets. |
| Articulating non-Western epistemologies and methodologies of translation and translation scholarship in their own historical contexts, and exploring the problematics of appropriating Euro-American theories and methods. |
| How Western translation concepts have influenced and classified non-Western translation traditions, and vice versa, and whether these changes have met with resistance. |
| The need for a conversation among marginalized languages and more information on translation among these languages, which might throw light on issues overlooked in studies of translation between centralized languages or between marginalized and centralized languages. |
People crossing boundaries
| The role of translators in history, their contribution to archives and history-making. |
| Translators as circulators of ideas, and their role in the modernization of non-Western cultures. |
| Travellers as translators and translators as travellers in crosscultural encounters. |
| Interpreting traditions and interpreters as cross-border agents in non-Western cultures. |
Length of papers: Each speaker will be allocated a total of one hour for the presentation and ensuing discussions. The aim is to enable more in-depth discussions and genuine engagement and interaction among conference participants than is possible with the brief time slots typically available at conferences.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 December 2007. Please email submissions to any of the organizers (see below). Include the following information: (1) Author’s name(s), (2) postal address, (3) phone number, (4) fax number, (5) e-mail address, (6) title of paper, and (7) abstract (maximum of 250 words).
Notification of acceptance: Authors will be notified of acceptance by 1 February 2008.
Registration and accommodation: Details will be announced at a later date.
Organizers:
Şehnaz Tahir Gürçağlar, Boğaziçi University, Turkey (sehnaz.tahir@boun.edu.tr)
Judy Wakabayashi, Kent State University, USA (jwakabay@kent.edu)
Farzaneh Farahzad, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Iran (farahzadatu@yahoo.com)
Rita Kothari, Mudra Institute of Communications, India (rita.abhijit@gmail.com)
Saliha Paker, Boğaziçi University, Turkey (paker@boun.edu.tr)
Ebru Diriker, Boğaziçi University, Turkey (diriker@boun.edu.tr)