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The Diversity of Linguistic Diversity: Summing up the differences and commonalities across language communities. Eithne O’Connell (SALIS, Dublin City University ) e ithne.oconnell@dcu.ie. Learn Me Project Workshop University of Aberystwyth 16th -19th of October 2013.
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The Diversity of Linguistic Diversity: Summing up the differences and commonalities across language communities Eithne O’Connell (SALIS, Dublin City University) eithne.oconnell@dcu.ie Learn Me Project Workshop University of Aberystwyth16th -19th of October 2013
Translation is a key enabling mechanism of linguistic diversity- otherwise chaos in multilingual situations or isolation • Translation is too often underestimated even by linguists/media producers as a purely technical matter: A in L1>B in L2. • In fact, A in L1 can become B, C, D... in L2, depending on factors such as language pair, context, text type, purpose etc. TRANSLATION Positives
Translation supports linguistic diversity by • Increasing visibility of different languages, their speakers and/or their cultures, creating openness and interest Translation Positives
Translation (especially AVT audiovisual translation) relating to children and MLs SOCIOLINGUISTIC PRACTICES (5)
Providing employment to linguists • Improving accessibility (e.g. subtitles, dubbing) • Fostering casual and formal language learning/linguistic/literacy skills development in both children and adults: standard subtitles for beginners; reverse subtitles for intermediate; intralingual subtitles for advanced. Implications for ML audiences? TRANSLATion positives
Translation censorship (indiv./state/corporate) • Third Code: translated texts differ linguistically from original language texts (even if written by the same author). Features include explication, normalisation, simplification etc. • Exposure to large quantities of translations causes adoption of source language features (e.g. Herbst : USA TV in German).Implications for ML children heavily reliant on dubbing/ST? Translation Negatives
Translation (no matter how good) can never be neutral: question of interpretation, multiple possible readings ( and translations) of the same text • Translation (only) hints at the riches of linguistic diversity LIMITS of translation
Fluent translation strategies obliterate the differences between languages and cultures even though semantic fields do not overlap • Translation can work against linguistic diversity as colonisation removing the need to LEARN other languages Additional problems
Session 11 The diversity of linguistic diversity
Thousand/millions of speakers • High/low status • One territory/ transnational • All domains/limited domains • Oral/written expression • Intergeneration transmission Yes/No • Codified standards/competing varieties • LP, e.g. terminology committees/laissez faire diversity
Old terminology does not capture current realities/complexities • Most languages now minoritized in relation to English • New low cost communication possibilities offered by digital media making traditional top-down LP harder to implement • Bottom-up LP easier commonalities
Scope for new cooperative (top/bottom) hybrid LP practices based on experience of fan-subtitling/dubbing and crowdsourcing for translation • Languages increasingly subordinated to English and used outside territory of origin and/or virtually • Most languages happy to scramble for second place Commonalities (cntd)
Some languages other than English are consolidating their position in institutions EU/UN etc. • Some will benefit from increased multilingualism differences
Territory (exclusive): • World language/Major language/Small language/local language • Minority language/indigenous/autochthonous • Regional language/variety/dialect Mediacentric spaces (inclusive): Josu/EdortaGeolinguistic/transnational/public sphere; spericules/global private spaces/transcultural TERMINOLOGY inappropriate?
Terminology and discourse needs to be revised/updated • Old discourse which links Irish to Catalan, while distinguishing between Catalan and Danish. • New discourse of EU (not nations states) as a public sphere and language speakers and language use and multilingualism in context may be more productive and unifying conclusion
1. Policy and Practice: Top-down/Bottom up (International/national/country/region/local) Workshop themes revisited
2. Terminological Diversity and Consequences: Terminology as institutionalised field Workshop themes revisited
3. Socio-political approaches/ideological objectives: assimilationist; additive; multicultural; segregated linguistic and cultural independence etc; identities. Workshop themes revisited
4. Methodological Issues: e.g. Indigeneity and Research; “Languaging” and approaches to linguistic diversity; Permeable and impermeable language frameworks Workshop themes revisited
5. Sociological Practices: Education/Media and Policy Objectives Workshop themes revisited