Graduate Student Conference in Translation Studies
April 22-24, 2016
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA, USA

This conference aims to provide a forum for emerging translators and  researchers from diverse backgrounds and academic fields united by a  common interest in translation and its broader applications. We invite  submissions of 200-300 word abstracts addressing topics in translation  studies, taking into account the interface of text and context,  language and culture. Our aim is to foster interdisciplinary inquiry  into the question of translation, and therefore welcome research and  approaches addressing the intersection of translation with disciplines  such as history, philosophy, sociology, linguistics, information  technology, the natural sciences, and more. Translation is a tool for  exchanging ideas, whether they be artistic, linguistic, cultural,  technical, or theoretical. No discipline exists outside the boundaries  of translation, and every discipline can benefit from it.

Key questions we hope to address include, but are not limited to:
1. What can other disciplines offer us in the way of developing  theories of translation?
2. What role does translation play in shaping public opinion and  cultural discourses?
3. How does prior knowledge and personal experience influence how we  translate?
4. In what ways can non-Western translation traditions inform  contemporary translation in theory and practice?
5. How has translation shaped visions and images of particular  literatures? To what extent do translators act as mediators between  multiple cultural and literary traditions?
6. How have history and power influenced translation and the reception  of translated texts?
7. What are the examples of experimental approaches toward translation  and how can they enlarge translation studies?

We invite presentations of twenty minutes. Proposals are due January  31, 2016.  Please submit by email to  umasstranslationconference2016@gmail.com  and please include the title  of your presentation, your name, affiliation, and contact information.  Participants will be notified of their acceptance in February.

For questions, please contact Siobhan Anderson Mei at siobhanander@umass.edu.