Juliane House

Communicative styles in English and German

In this paper cultural differences in communicative styles preferred by speakers of German and English are presented, and their impact on intercultural misunderstandings and the ascription of politeness or impoliteness is discussed. Concretely, five dimensions along which these cultural differences (as outcomes of extensive contrastive-pragmatic work can be placed) are introduced and exemplified. Further, the value and the explanatory power these dimensions might have for culture clashes and for the perception of misunderstanding and (im)politeness are discussed.

English as Lingua Franca in covert translation processes

Abstract The project described in this paper deals with the role played by global English in initiating language change via language contact in translation and multilingual text production. The paper presents the theoretical background, the analytical procedure, the corpus and first results of this project, which is currently carried out within the Sonderforschungsbereich ‘Mehrsprachigkeit’ (Research Centre on Multilingualism) funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Science Foundation). The working hypothesis underlying this project is that the increasing dominance of the English language as a global lingua franca impacts on translations from English into other major European languages and on parallel text production. In order to test this hypothesis, a multilingual corpus of translation and parallel texts in three genres was compiled and, as a first step, subjected to in-depth qualitative analysis and comparison on the basis of a systemic-functional evaluation model. The purpose of these analyses is to find out whether linguistic and cultural specificity in target text communicative conventions tends to give way to typical Anglophone conventions. Following an outline of the model of analysis and the corpus, major results of the analyses of English source texts and their German translations are presented and discussed.

Translation as communication across languages and cultures

List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgements Introduction Part I: Central Concepts Chapter 1: The Nature of Translation as Part of Applied Linguistics Chapter 2: Overview of Different Approaches to Translation Chapter 3: Some New Trends in Translation Studies Chapter 4: Culture and Translation Part II: Translatability, Universals, Text, Context and Translation Evaluation Chapter 5: From Untranslatability to Translatability Chapter 6: Universals of Translation? Chapter 7: Text and Context: A functional-pragmatic view Chapter 8: Translation Quality Assessment: Review of Approaches and Practices Part III: Some New Research Avenues in Translation Studies Chapter 9: Translation and Bilingual Cognition Chapter 10: The Role of Corpora in Translation Studies Chapter 11: Globalization and Translation Part IV: Translation Practice in Different Societal Domains Chapter 12: Translation and Foreign Language Learning and Teaching Chapter 13: The Professional Practice of Translators: New Challenges and Problems Bibliography

English as a Lingua Franca and Translation

Abstract This article explores the impact that English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) may have on translator and interpreter training. The paper first defines ELF and highlights major findings in this new research paradigm. Secondly, the relationship between ELF, multilingualism and translation is discussed in some detail. Thirdly the paper examines claims that ELF and translations into ELF are inferior versions of native English, drawing on an overview of the role that ELF plays in translator training institutions and the translation industry. Claims that the ever-rising number of translations from ELF into other languages contaminate these languages are then discussed. Finally, the argument that the growing influx of English words and phrases into other languages via translation inhibits thinking and conceptualizing in other languages is critically investigated.

(Im)Politeness in Cross-Cultural Encounters.

Abstract In this article I will first discuss the notions of ‘politeness’ and ‘impoliteness’ including a multilevel model of politeness and impoliteness that relates universal levels to culture- and language-specific ones. Given this framework and my earlier postulation of a set of parameters along which members of two linguacultures differ in terms of communicative styles and preferences conventionally holding in a particular linguaculture, I will provide several examples of cross-cultural interactions in academic advising sessions. These examples will be discussed and some conclusions about misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication and ways to mitigate or avoid them will be drawn.

Communication studies and translation studies: A special relationship

The authors of this chapter, who are associated with the disciplines translationstudies and communication studies respectively, have entered into a constructivedialogue about whether their two fields can be said to be related, wherecommon research interests are located and how the two fields might benefitfrom close cooperation. The authors list a number of contact points betweentheir disciplines, and they suggest common research paths that might be fruitfullyembarked on in the future.

Offene und verdeckte Übersetzung: Zwei Arten, in einer anderen Sprache ›das Gleiche‹ zu sagen

SummaryThis article discusses different ways of »saying the same thing« in an original text and its translation. Following a few general remarks about the phenomenon of translation, this »sameness« is related to the concept of equivalence, which is constitutive of translation, and to two fundamental types of translation. These translation types are traced back to century-old ideas about the nature of translation, followed by the author’s own distinction into overt and covert translation, a distinction both anchored in linguistic theory and empirical research. A set of examples is given to illustrate these two translation types and their different ways of aiming for »sameness« of meaning, when texts travel through time and space. Particular attention is here given to the operation of a so-called »cultural filter« in covert translation. Finally, the possibility of an entirely new type of »sameness« is discussed, which may occur due to the hegemony of one particular language: English as a global lingua franca. This new development is given some substance through the results of a project currently carried out at the German Science Foundation’s Hamburg Centre on Multilingualism.

Discourse and ideology in translated children’s literature: a comparative study

ABSTRACT In this paper, we examine changes children’s literature frequently undergo when translated. Specifically, we investigate how the ideological manipulation of originals leads to shifts in these translations. We use a multilingual corpus of English children’s books translated into German, Greek, Korean, Spanish and Arabic. German and Greek translations are discussed intensively with some space given to translations into the other languages, where analyses are at an initial stage. In our comparative study we investigate the liberties taken by translators in their covert translations (House, J. (2015). Translation quality assessment: Past and present. London: Routledge) into different languages. Preliminary findings reveal shifts that highlight (a) underlying cross-cultural discourse preferences reflected in the translations through massive ‘cultural filtering’, (b) ideological leanings of translators who tacitly guide reader assumptions, and (c) educational adjustments to stock societal assumptions and ‘official’ ideas.

The Impact of English as a Global Lingua Franca on Intercultural Communication

This chapter first examines the concept “lingua franca”, moving from an historical overview to the present status of English as a lingua franca (ELF). English as a lingua franca is today used in many domains across many different ethnic groups, nation states and regions, and it is steadily becoming more important as a default language in many parts of Asia. As a lingua franca, English is also the first truly global language in history. And it is this unrivalled position of English today which has thrown up massive criticism – criticism directed at the assumption of the cultural neutrality of English as a lingua franca, at the elitist nature of English in many parts of the world, and at its potential for harming local languages in Asia. These points of criticism will be examined in the chapter from a socio-cultural and economic perspective.