Conference focuses on crucial role of translation in globalised world
Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) opened the seventh annual international translation conference on the “Politics of Translation: Representations and Power” with more than 200 attendees yesterday.
The event’s keynote addresses, panels and workshops highlighted the crucial role translation plays in an increasingly globalised world as a powerful instrument often used to shape a narrative, the portrayal of an event or a current situation.
The conference, which concludes today, brings local and international scholars, political commentators, media personalities and the general public together to discuss some of the most critical challenges in the field.
Dr Amal al-Malki, dean of CHSS, said in her opening remarks: “This year’s theme has resonated positively with the academic and professional communities and proven yet again that the fields of translation and interpreting are interdisciplinary and span any field that has a human component to it.
“The unfortunate events of Belgium last week and the closure of the airport made us both anxious and adamant in having our panelists from Belgium join us. Our team has worked closely on their travel logistics and I am very happy to say that our colleagues from Belgium are here with us today.”
Keynote speakers included Dr Henri Awaiss, dean of the Faculty of Languages of Saint Joseph University – Beirut; Dr Joselia Neves, associate professor at HBKU and Sultan Sooud al-Qassemi, well-known columnist and commentator on Arab affairs based in the UAE.
Al-Qassemi said: “It is interesting to hear what other professionals have to say about the politics of translation and the translation of politics.”
The first day continued with participants engaging in simultaneous panel discussions, covering topics such as the politics of gender in translation, interpreting conflicts and literary representations of power.
Speakers from Qatar, Egypt, Spain, the UK, Portugal, China, Iran, Turkey, Belgium, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Canada and the US participated, with the organisers selecting 32 abstracts from the over 100 submitted.
Day two will explore topics such as translating the religious and ethical questions that emerge when covering political issues, and the linguistic perspective on political translation.
It will also feature a closing session with keynote speakers and special guests, including Dr Ahmed Albanyan, dean of the Institute of Translation and Arabisation at the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Saudi Arabia; Dr Huda Moukannas, professor at the Lebanese American University and Dr Hannelore Lee-Jahnke, professor from the University of Geneva - sharing reflections and major takeaways from the event.
A series of workshops are also being offered to emphasise the link between theory and practice.