Workshop On Translating 19th Century Women’s Writing & Writing for Women

Does language influence thought? It is a complex question and one which traces its roots to the beginning of cultural and literary scholarship. Translation Studies which emerged onto the world stage in the late 1970s is an innovative field of academic research which, in recent times, has become the fundamental interdiscipline to decode the philosophical/cultural/literary/linguistic implications of the question through an extensive study of the praxis of translation all over the world. Translation, in turn, has evolved into a focal point of academic interest as a consequence of the processes of globalization which have rendered visible the importance of intercultural communication as well as highlighted the world-wide renewal of interest in exploring cultural origins and questions of identity. Translation has a pivotal role to play in aiding understanding of an increasingly fragmentary world. It is perceived today as the “indissoluble connection between language and way of life”, across space and time. Translation, as a field of scholarship, is a relatively new discipline in India though; the history of translation in the country can be traced back to the pre-colonial times and is seen to fall into three broad areas: pre-colonial, colonial and post- colonial translation. While it has had specific relevance to each of these three areas, in current times, it has become a major key to promote regional/cultural interface in a country rich in socio-linguistic-cultural diversity but a diversity fraught with tensions and complexities of alterity. It has also performed a crucial role in lending visibility to the marginalised sections of the society. Diverse regional and marginalised voices have been brought to national and international attention through the practice of translation; however, much work in the field still remains to be undertaken.

It is with a view to encourage translation practices in India as a means of increased socio-cultural interaction as well as increase the availability of transcultural material for primary research in Translation Studies at the international level, that the Department of English, The Bhawanipur Education Society, Kolkata proposes to organize a seven-day Translation Workshop, in collaboration with the Centre for Translation of Indian Literatures, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

The workshop will be conducted from 5th October to 11th October, 2015 at The Bhawanipur Education Society College, Kolkata and it will involve understanding the theoretical nuances of translation and developing the basic translation skills of the participants through multilingual translation of select 19thcentury women’s writings and writings for women having archival importance. The interdisciplinary nature of the afore-mentioned thrust area makes it the most appropriate choice for the workshop which aims to expand the horizons of the existing translation praxis through assimilation of issues relevant to Cultural and Gender Studies. The proposed workshop aims to posit an innovative experiment in multilingual translation and the material translated during the workshop would be compiled and published as a contribution to future research in the field of academic study.