Sociological Approaches to Translation: Working with narrative, thinking complexity, considering space

Speaker: Dr Sue-Ann Harding, Queens University Belfast

Abstract: That translation and interpreting are social phenomena rather than some kind of isolated and disembodied textual and interlingual practice is by now well-established in Translation Studies. As one of several sociological-based approaches to the study of translations and translators, social narrative theory remains a rigorous and attractive theoretical framework, particularly when it makes use of the rich tradition of narratology, itself a cluster of theories engaging with the social. Nevertheless—or perhaps because of this!— students often struggle to engage with the theory in meaningful, insightful and productive ways. This presentation aims to address some of the issues that arise as the novice narrative theorist approaches the literature and their topic. In addition, the presentation considers ways in which resonances from complexity theory, e.g. the position of the observer/researcher, emergence, fractals and bifurcation, can stretch our thinking about how narratives work and how we might work with narratives. Finally, drawing on my most recent research looking at the translation of landscape, the presentation will also engage with ideas of space itself a key element of narrative.

Speaker’s bio: Sue-Ann Harding is a Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies at Queen’s University Belfast. Her main research interests are in social-narrative theory as a mode of inquiry into translations and translated events, with a particular interest in sites of conflict and narrative contestation. This has led to a diverse research profile that includes the Beslan hostage disaster in 2004 and its subsequent anniversary commemorations; Qatar’s efforts to cultivate a literary and culturally-engaged population; the translation of police interviews in South Africa; the Arabic and Russian translations of Frantz Fanon, and the resonances between narrative and complexity theory. She is currently writing a book exploring ways in which historical and contemporary narratives translate the natural and urban landscapes of Qatar. Recent publications include The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Culture co-edited with Ovidi Carbonell Cortés (Routledge 2018); Translating Frantz Fanon Across Continents and Languages, coedited with Kathryn Batchelor (Routledge 2017); and Beslan: Six Stories of the Siege (Manchester University Press 2012). She is the Chair of the Executive Council for the International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS), Reviews Editor for The Translator (Taylor and Francis), a member of the Advisory Board for the Shanghai Jiao Tong Baker Centre for Translation & Intercultural Studies, and serves as an ARTIS Associate (Advancing Research in Translation and Interpreting Studies).