About

11^th International Translation Conference

 

COVID-19 and Current Changes in Translation and Interpreting Studies

 

Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII)
College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS)
Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)
Doha, Qatar
Wednesday 24 March, 2021

 

The planet has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic in a manner that has radically changed our lives and has far-reaching ramifications for the present and the future. This has given rise to strong political, economic, social and cultural tensions. It has also had an impact on both the conceptual and practical dimensions of academia, with the emergence of online teaching and blended learning, virtualizing physical human contact and converting three-dimensional communication into two-dimensional screen exchanges. It is imperative to keep the university operating, though now at a distance. Given that one of the university’s vital roles is to be at the forefront of adaptation and innovation to guide society through its most pressing challenges, it is imperative that we explore the changes that this situation requires and conceptualize them.

This conference aims to explore how the pandemic has triggered a range of upheavals, encompassing the international arena, the academic experience, and the mobilization of national sentiments. These turning points will be analyzed within diverse cultural and historical contexts, not as moments of sudden rupture, but as a series of short-, medium- and long-term changes and transdisciplinary shifts.

The 11^th International Translation Conference will gauge how the pandemic is reshaping translation and interpreting (T&I), academically, professionally, socio-economically and humanly. Digitized work places, shared translation memories in the cloud, artificial intelligence-based machine translation, collaborative translation platforms and volunteering have not only developed since the outbreak of the pandemic, but are shifting to new formats or have been accelerated in today’s T&I landscape.

The advanced digitization of T&I service providers may be ahead of a “second wave” of yet unexplored digitized modalities. The advantages and challenges of such an accelerated digitization process form one of this conference’s themes. Fortunately, unlike other sectors, T&I is not quarantined but has become a sustainable player in revisiting the use and the multilingual development of social media, healthcare (communication), intercultural mediation, diversity and inclusion, and societal advancement.

Thanks to its multimodal flexibility and the human professionals at the helm of the new normal of virtual life and work, the T&I community may become a spark of hope in a world that will have to learn how to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic. Artists, writers and composers were at the forefront of efforts to shape interpretations of the pandemic and one of the aims of this conference is to conceptualize the impact of their responses on translation studies. The diversity surrounding the concept of a pandemic is the counterpart of its theoretical richness that generates sociological and technological questions. This needs to be considered in conjunction with political, moral and religious concerns.

HBKU CHSS’ TII will have its 11^th International Translation Conference in March, 2021. The format will be a series of online presentations and two keynote speeches.

The conference will focus primarily but not solely on changes that have been caused or accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the T&I landscape. We welcome presentations on the impact of the current pandemic that fit but are not limited to the following sub-themes:

• T&I and Social Media
• T&I Pedagogical Trends and Traditions
• T&I Professional Trends and Praxis
• T&I and Safety Protocols in Healthcare
• T&I in the Arab World after the Pandemic
• T&I Digitized Work Places and Data Security
• Audiovisual Translation and Beyond
• T&I, Diversity and Accessibility
• Changes in Teaching: On-Line delivery and Blended Learning in T&I 
• T&I, Cultural, Linguistic, and Social Consequences 
• Pandemic Pedagogy and Comparative Perspectives
• Selflessness, Hospitality and Identity
• Memory and Commemoration

 

Hamad Bin Khalifa University:

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development (QF), was founded in 2010 to continue fulfilling QF’s vision of unlocking human potential. HBKU is a homegrown research and graduate studies University that acts as a catalyst for positive transformation in Qatar and the region while having a global impact.

Located within Education City, HBKU seeks to provide unparalleled opportunities where inquiry and discovery are integral to teaching and learning at all levels utilizing a multidisciplinary approach across all focus areas.

HBKU is committed to actively contribute to achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030 by building and cultivating human capacity through an enriching academic experience and an innovative research ecosystem. Through applying creativity to knowledge, students will have the opportunity to discover innovative solutions that are locally relevant and have a global impact.

At Hamad Bin Khalifa University – our students, faculty, staff, partners, and leadership – all share a common belief in the power of higher education and research to make a positive impact in the development of nations.

More information at www.hbkh.edu.qa

 

Education City:

Our flagship initiative is a campus of more than 12 square kilometers that hosts branch campuses of some of the world's leading educational institutes, a homegrown university, and other research, scholastic, and community centers. Together, these institutes make Education City a unique model of academic and research excellence, pioneering a new approach to multidisciplinary, global education and enabling breakthroughs that benefit Qatar and the rest of the world.

Total Students across our universities and schools: 8,000+

Universities located in Education City: 9

Schools as part of our Pre-University Education network: 11

More information at https://www.qf.org.qa/education/education-city

 

Qatar:

Qatar has been an independent sovereign state since 1971. Qatar comprises an 11,500 sq. km peninsula extending northwards into the Arabian Gulf. It has 563 km of uninterrupted coastline. The country’s population stands at 2.69 million and its capital city is Doha.

Local time is GMT/UCT + 3 hours. There are no daylight savings adjustments.

Qatar has a desert climate with year-round sunshine, very hot summers and mild winters. Mean monthly temperatures range from 17°C in January to 36°C in July, sometimes reaching highs of 40°C+ during the summer. Rain is infrequent, falling in brief showers mainly in winter.

Capital: Doha
Population: 2.6 million
Area: 11,500 sq. km
Language: Arabic
Religion: Islam
Currency: Riyal
Power Connection: The power plugs and sockets are of type D and G. The standard voltage is 240 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

More information at https://www.visitqatar.qa