CTS Newsletter #1
Inside our newsletters you can find the latest updates and developments from the Centre for Translation Studies. If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter please email CTS_inquiries@surrey.ac.uk.
In this edition, we are excited to reflect on the success of the Convergence conference 2023, which built on the achievements of the Convergence lecture series here at Surrey. If you were able to join us for this event, we hope you found it both informative and enjoyable. We have put together this newsletter to provide a recap of the conference, share some of the key takeaways, and update you on other relevant news and developments from the Centre for Translation Studies (CTS).
Convergence 2023
We were thrilled to have such an engaged audience at Convergence 2023, and it was a great pleasure to see so many colleagues come together to share their expertise and insights. The overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from attendees has been truly inspiring, and we are grateful for their invaluable contributions to the success of the event. Here are a few testimonials to capture the spirit of the conference:
Awesome array of speakers, inspiring new developments in the field. Many topics resonated with my research interests & reaffirmed my choice of the field.
I am indeed grateful to all involved in this free Convergence conference for remote online participants. Cheers and thanks!
Great event! fantastic job and thank you for sharing online!
The conference received an overwhelming response, with more than 1000 registrations worldwide.
The conference offered a diverse programme of presentations, panel discussions, and workshops, covering a wide range of topics related to the theme of “Convergence” i.e., human-machine integration in translation and interpreting. Our keynote speakers delivered inspiring speeches, while the panel discussions offered thought-provoking insights.
In addition, the hybrid format of the conference allowed attendees to join from all around the world, increasing the diversity of perspectives and experiences shared. We were delighted by the level of enthusiasm and engagement displayed by the attendees during the various interactive Q&A sessions and poster presentations.
We are also excited to announce that Slator, a leader in language industry news and market intelligence, has recently published an article about the Convergence conference.
If you missed the conference, you can find the presentations from our two keynote speakers Dorothy Kenny and Will Lewis on our YouTube channel. Below are some photos from the event, with more available on the CTS website.
Following the conference, we were delighted to welcome Gian Maria Greco, from the University of Macerata, Italy, back to CTS for the month of March as a Visiting Researcher. Gian Maria was part of our Widening Media Accessibility in the Digital Age panel at Convergence 2023 and has been a key participant in many research discussions with staff and PhD students over the last few weeks. Gian Maria shared his experience below:
I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend an entire month at CTS. I am deeply grateful to Sabine and all the members of CTS for welcoming me into their vibrant community. From attending the AD group meetings to teaching in the MA programme, from engaging with doctoral researchers (whose contagious enthusiasm was truly inspiring) to having lively chats with colleagues (one of which lasted almost five hours without any breaks!), I am leaving with a treasure trove of warm memories and plenty of new ideas.
If you have any comments or feedback about the Convergence conference, we would like to hear from you. Please feel free to share your thoughts by completing this short form or emailing cts_inquiries@surrey.ac.uk.
40th Anniversary of CTS
The Centre for Translation Studies celebrated its 40th Anniversary this year and we were delighted to celebrate with colleagues from Surrey past and present and invited guests as part of the Convergence conference 2023. CTS is dedicated to cutting-edge research, scholarship and teaching in translation, interpreting and other forms of inter- and intra-lingual communication. Since its formation in the academic year 1982/83, CTS has contributed to the theoretical advancement of translation and interpreting studies, whilst achieving real-world applicability by studying translation and interpreting as socio-technological practices, highlighting their economic and social value and their role as an enabling force for a globally connected world.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all who have supported CTS throughout the last 40 years, and we are excited to see where the next 40 take us.
Upcoming Events and Conferences organised by CTS
Human-informed Translation and Interpreting Technology Conference
Constantin Orasan, together with colleagues from the University of Wolverhampton, the University of Malaga, and the University of Naples ’Orientale, is organising the International Conference on Human-Informed Translation and Interpreting Technology (HiT-IT 2023), from 7th to 9th July in Naples, Italy. HiT-IT seeks to act as a meeting point for researchers working in translation and interpreting technologies, practising technology-minded translators and interpreters, companies and freelancers providing services in translation and interpreting as well as companies developing tools for translators and interpreters. In addition to the accepted papers, HiT-IT will feature invited talks by prominent experts as well as presentations and panels hosted by practitioners. For more information, please visit the conference website.
User Track - Machine Translation Summit 2023
Félix do Carmo, together with Masaru Yamada, is chairing the User Track for the MT Summit 2023, which will take place from 4th to 8th September 2023 in Macau, China. The User Track covers themes from end user, translator, and professional services perspectives such as MT literacy, domain-specific MT use, positive outcomes, limitations, risks, and ethical concerns associated with MT use. This is a valuable opportunity for Translation Studies researchers to take part in the conversation and research on MT. Among the keynote speakers of the MT Summit 2023 is Dorothy Kenny, and the event will provide ample scope to engage with colleagues from across Europe, the USA and Asia. Send your abstracts using this link, before 1st May. If your abstract is selected, you will need to send the full paper by 10th July. Please visit the website for more information.
How AI Extracts and Exploits Value from Knowledge Created by Humans: The Case of Machine Translation
Machine translation is often hailed as one of the most successful applications of AI, but it is just a simulation of human products by artificial means, and as a simulation, it falls short of replicating the process of creating translated texts. Current narratives of business models in the translation industry could result in complete destruction or radical heteromation of the value of translators’ work. In this upcoming talk, Félix do Carmo will challenge these narratives, drawing on the works of many researchers to argue that translation, including artificial machine translation, tap into not only language work, but also our understanding of intelligence and of the fundamental current transformations shaping our society.
Organisation: CODA - Centre for Digital Culture and Innovation, Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto (Portugal).
Tuesday 11th April | 17:00-18:30 UK time| FLUP (Sala de reuniões 2) and Zoom. Register here to attend.
CTS Convergence Lecture Series (online)
We would like to invite you to join the next in the series of Convergence lectures hosted by CTS. As part of the series, we invite guest speakers to join us online to discuss their research and the theme of convergence, and we look forward to seeing you there. Please keep an eye on the news pages of our website for further details of our upcoming lectures. Invitations and registration links for the next convergence lectures will be circulated soon, but for now please save the date.
Wednesday 24th May, 11:00 (BST): Gloria Corpas-Pastor from the University of Malaga, Spain
Wednesday 21st June, 13:00 (BST): Jo Drugan from Heriot Watt University, UK
Recordings of previous convergence lectures are available on our YouTube channel.
CTS News and Updates
Editorship
We are delighted to announce that Elena Davitti, Associate Professor of Translation Studies, has been appointed co-editor of the JB Translation, Cognition and Behaviour journal.
Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships
The next call for applications to the Marie Curie Postdoctoral fellowships opens on 12th April 2023. These fellowships are designed to support researchers, specifically those who hold a PhD and wish to conduct their research activities in a different country.
CTS are keen to support applications as a host organisation. If you are interested in applying for a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship and would like to develop an application with CTS, we encourage you to get in touch. Please send a one-page expression of interest and your 2-page CV to cts_inquiries@surrey.ac.uk by 5th June 2023. All expressions of interest will be subject to an internal review process.
You can find more information about this opportunity on the funding scheme’s website.
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