Brave New Globalized World? Translation Studies and English as a Lingua Franca

2009 ◽  
Vol XIV (1) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lance Hewson
Target ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Snell-Hornby

Terminology has often proved to be a problem in scholarly discourse, and Translation Studies is a case in point. Even the name of the discipline has been an issue since James Holmes brought it up in 1972, and the central concept of the time, equivalence, despite incessant debate and revaluation in some schools of thought, has in others long since been discarded as an illusion. Basically there are three possibilities open to the scholar wanting to introduce a new technical term: – As in the case of norm (Toury), a word from general language can be used in a specified sense and defined as such. The danger arises that it can be misinterpreted and used differently in other languages (as with Vermeer’s Norm). – the invention of completely new terms, as with Justa Holz-Mänttäri’s Botschaftsträger. – A word is taken over from a classical dead language, such as Latin or Greek, and given a specific definition for the theory concerned, as was the case with skopos in the functionalist approach. Referring to experience in editing the Handbuch Translation, the essay discusses this issue in detail. It also deals with the use of English as a lingua franca in the metadiscourse of Translation Studies.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 63-80
Author(s):  
Alice Leal

The tension between unity versus multiplicity seems to be at the heart of the European Union (EU) and of translation studies (TS). Indeed, a significant parallel between the two is the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF). The EU appears to be torn between a notion of language as a crucial element of one’s identity on the one hand, and a predominantly instrumental, Lockean view of language, on the other. A similar dynamic appears to take place in TS, an area that is par excellence heterogeneous and in which the notion of difference plays a paramount role. Indeed, at times TS appears to be afflicted by a sense of self-consciousness regarding its lack of unity and homogeneity. According to some, the solution is to foster the standardisation of its methods and terminology. But would proposing standardised terminology in a standardised language for the area not inevitably entail repressing different approaches in different languages? The paper explores this question in the context of the use of English as a lingua franca, and proposes various ways out of the dilemma both for the EU and TS.


Author(s):  
Juliane House

The article suggests a theory of translation as re-contextualisation and a ‘Third Space’ phenomenon supplementing the ideas recently suggested in the cultural branch of translation studies with a linguistic account and building a bridge between the two. The view proposed here is rooted in a functional approach to translation. Such an approach is fruitful because it implies a systematic consideration of the context of translation units and the embeddedness of language as a meaning-making tool in micro-situational and macro-sociocultural contexts. The categorically different nature of Third Space in covert and overt translation is exemplified and explained with reference to House ’s theory of translation as re-contextualisation. Finally, possible changes in conceptualizing translation as a Third Space phenomenon are mentioned with a view to the growing dominance of English as a global lingua franca.


RELC Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Cameron ◽  
Nicola Galloway

With the globalization of the English language, Global Englishes (GE) is a growing research paradigm with numerous pedagogical implications for those learning and teaching English. The study reported here provides insights on pre- and in-service Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) practitioners’ perceptions of Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT) (Galloway & Rose, 2015; Rose & Galloway, 2019), which aims to make TESOL classrooms more reflective of learners’ needs in today’s globalized world, where multilingualism is the norm and English functions as a lingua franca. Interviews (n=5) with those taking a GE course on an MSc TESOL programme at a Russell Group university in the UK were triangulated with a survey among the wider programme (n=66). The study reveals that curriculum innovation is complex, particularly when it requires a conceptual transition, and practitioners need time and support to implement change. Furthermore, it was clarified that GE has made little headway into ‘traditional’ TESOL classrooms, which remains biased towards ‘native’ English norms.


English Today ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-49
Author(s):  
Xiangdong Li

English is becoming the default language of knowledge construction and dissemination (Kuteeva & McGrath, 2014; Zheng & Gao, 2016; Fuentes & Gómez Soler, 2018). However, English as a monolingual and mono-rhetorical means of disseminating knowledge may maximize its ‘Tyrannosaurus rex’ side (Tardy, 2004; Espinet et al., 2015; Zheng & Gao, 2016). The use of English as an Academic Lingua Franca (EALF) is depicted as hegemonic, totalitarian, colonial and imperialistic, silencing other academic traditions, imposing Anglophone ideologies of norms and rhetorical conventions, and controlling other academic territories (Phillipson, 1992; Bennett, 2013). It is claimed that an orientation towards the norms and rhetorical conventions of the Anglo-Saxon discourse demotes non-English languages, cultures and rhetorical conventions (Tardy, 2004; Espinet, Izquierdo & Garcia–Pujol, 2015), disadvantages non-native English-speaking scholars and their scholarship (Flowerdew, 2013; Zheng & Gao, 2016), erodes alternative forms of knowledge construction (Martín–Martín, 2005; Bennett, 2011), and reduces intellectual, cultural and epistemological diversity (Tardy, 2004; Bennett, 2011).


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Robert Schmitz

The realization that there are today more nonnative speakers than native speakers of English in the world with institutionalized and nativized varieties as well as their own specific communicative, cultural and pragmatic competencies has led to the rethinking of present-day practices in teaching, teacher preparation, and the writing of textbooks. Jenkins' publications (2000, 2003) dealing with the phonology of English and material for teaching English as an international language along with her book English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) (2007) call for the disengagement of the language from Anglo-American native speaker norms. This line of research presents serious questions for Applied Linguistics (AL) and English Language Teaching (ELT) that will, if implemented, entail major changes in that endeavor. The winds of change may indeed be beneficial for some and a threat to others. I argue in this paper for an open mindset with respect to the issues and to the new state of affairs in this globalized world today.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 636-639
Author(s):  
Ana-Magdalena Petraru

Abstract This paper purports to give an overview of translators as agents and their agency which should be viewed as a knowledge-based organisation in today’s globalized world. In our approach we will draw on Translation Studies (Baker and Saldanha, 2009), in general, and the situation of the profession in Romania with its recent developments, in particular (namely the proposal for a new controversial law which all legal translators and their agencies should obey). Last but not least, our aim is to account for translators as agents and translation agency in our country in the context of ethical practice and the increasingly stressful, demanding challenges of the job which is constantly frowned upon by the general public in the era of google translation.


Babel ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-380
Author(s):  
Tzu-yi Elaine Lee

Abstract As a global phenomenon, English as a lingua franca (ELF) has been rigorously researched in many fields but completely ignored in translation studies. Based on a previous study, this study accordingly sets out to investigate the ELF phenomenon in the fansubbing culture with a specific focus on the notes and comments by fansubbers, arguing that fansubbing as a practice creates a space for dialogue between fan translators and their viewers that leads to the ‘empowerment’ of fansubbers as linguistic and cultural mediators. By examining specific screenshots of headnotes and comments by amateur translators with regard to six seasons of the TV series Rizzoli & Isles, this paper discusses background reasons for ELF applied by fansubbers, the implications of the ELF phenomenon in fansubbing culture, and the potential effects of fansubbing upon the audience in contradistinction to the effects of commercial subtitling and upon the translation profession as a whole. Finally, this article hopes to shed light on Chinese fansubbers who in fact blur the traditional distinction between professional and amateur subtitling, and concludes that the specific language practices fansubbers are engaged in show – as both fans and translators – an unlimited degree of latitude from mainstream subtitling.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Sung

English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has not only generated a lot of interest among applied linguists and researchers, it has also attracted a great deal of attention among language teachers in recent years. What is particularly noteworthy is that ELF research has radically altered our way of thinking about language and the use of English in today’s globalized world (see, e.g., Dewey, 2013a, 2013b; Sung, 2013a, 2013b). It is therefore important for language teachers to understand more about ELF and its relevance for language teaching. In this interview, Martin Dewey, an expert in English as a Lingua Franca from King’s College, London, shares his ideas about the potential impact of ELF research on language teaching and teacher education. He previously taught English as a second language in Italy, Mexico, and the UK, and has trained language teachers on several pre-service and in-service programmes of teacher education. He is currently investigating ELF, and compiling a corpus of spoken ELF discourse for the purpose of describing and theorising current developments in the lexis, grammar, and pragmatics of English in lingua franca settings. He has published extensively on work in ELF, and is co-author with Alessia Cogo of Analyzing English as a Lingua Franca: A Corpus-driven Investigation (2012).


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