English Evaluative Concepts in Translated Religious and Devotional Texts

本项目将探讨如何通过在各种语言和文化环境中翻译的宗教和信仰文本来介导英语语言和文化独特的某些评价概念。通过调查被认为是普遍的评价术语（如承诺、体面、公平、谦卑、正直、正义等）的文化特定特征，这项研究将有助于解决文化和种族陈规定型观念和陈词滥调的问题。这项研究将结合对当地的强烈关注和广泛的跨文化视角，在一个由各种语言学者组成的国际网络内进行（英语，法语，德语，意大利语，波兰语和西班牙语）跨越一系列学科，在欧洲明显不同的地区（北方爱尔兰，意大利，波兰和西班牙）。它将利用和加强2011年10月在贝尔法斯特女王大学举行的关于《钦定版圣经》的概念和文化影响的国际研讨会所开创的现有研究合作。该网络将在不同地点举行一系列四个专题会议，讨论该主题的各个方面。建立联系活动的纯学术性质将得到圆桌讨论方案和社区活动的补充，这些活动有不同语言、文化和宗教背景的代表参加，以促进对在多文化社会中运作的价值体系和评价概念进行建设性讨论。在项目结束时，将为北方爱尔兰和爱尔兰共和国的笔译员和口译员举办讲习班，以推广研究成果，并将其应用于实际的跨语言和跨文化接触和背景。在英语语言和文化传统中确立，翻译的宗教和信仰文本在这一过程中发挥了什么作用？在当今的多元文化社会中，某些价值观是如何被重新定义、争议和谈判的？这些价值观是由翻译的宗教和信仰文本塑造的，因此与特定的世界观联系在一起。具体来说，英语的价值观和评价概念是如何被翻译到不同的文化和语言背景中的（特别关注宗教和信仰文本）？其他语言和文化是如何与英语特有的关键评价概念相结合的，尽管它们往往缺乏精确的对应物？这项研究在大规模移民时代的社会，政治和文化领域具有巨大的相关性，前所未有的文化交流以及多语言和多民族社会。最近围绕多元文化主义的争论表明，迫切需要理解多种价值体系，并创造性地解决评价概念的不可分割性。对这些领域进行基础广泛的合作调查，将大大加强社会内部和社会之间对文化和世界观异同的相互认识，该网络将受益于一个包括知名学者和社区组织代表在内的国际咨询小组的监督，并将依靠在所有有关机构运作的现有支助机制。其研究成果将通过一个专门的项目网站、出版经编辑的文章集、提交给主要国际期刊的论文以及通过为笔译和口译从业人员举办的讲习班和社区圆桌会议进行传播。

This project will explore how certain evaluative concepts unique for the English language and culture are mediated through religious and devotional texts translated in various linguistic and cultural settings. By investigating the culture-specific character of supposedly universal evaluative terms (e.g. commitment, decency, fairness, humility, integrity, justice, etc.) which often lack precise equivalents in other languages, this research will help address the problem of cultural and ethnic stereotypes and clichés.Combining a keen local focus with a broad transcultural perspective, this research will be carried out within an international network of scholars working in various languages (English, French, German, Italian, Polish, and Spanish) across a range of disciplines, in markedly different regions of Europe (Northern Ireland, Italy, Poland and Spain). It will build upon and enhance existing research collaboration inaugurated through an international symposium on the conceptual and cultural impact of the King James Bible, held at Queen's University Belfast in October 2011. The network will proceed through a series of four thematic conferences held at different locations and addressing the various aspects of the theme. The strictly academic dimension of the networking activities will be complemented by a programme of round table discussions and community events involving representatives of various linguistic, cultural and religious backgrounds in order to promote a constructive discussion of systems of values and evaluative concepts operating in multicultural societies. Towards the end of the project, workshops will be held for translators and interpreters in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to promote research findings and apply them to actual cross-linguistic and cross-cultural encounters and contexts.The network will consider the following questions:- How did certain evaluative concepts (such as e.g. decent, fair, right, straight, upright, wrong; commitment, humility, integrity, justice, etc.) become established in the English linguistic and cultural tradition and what role did translated religious and devotional texts play in this process?- How are certain values - shaped by translated religious and devotional texts and thus tied to a particular worldview - currently redefined, contested and negotiated in today's multicultural societies?- How are specifically English values and evaluative concepts translated into different cultural and linguistic contexts (with special focus on religious and devotional texts)?- How do other languages and cultures engage with key evaluative concepts specific to English, despite often lacking precise equivalents for them?This research has enormous relevance in the social, political and cultural sphere in the era of mass migration, unprecedented cultural exchange as well as multilingual and multi-ethnic societies. Recent controversies surrounding multiculturalism have revealed the pressing need to understand multiple systems of values and creatively address the incommensurability of evaluative concepts. Broadly based, collaborative investigation into these areas will significantly enhance the mutual recognition of similarities and differences in culture and worldview, both within and between societies.The network will benefit from the oversight of an international advisory group including eminent scholars and representatives of community organizations and will rely on existing support mechanisms operating in all involved institutions. Its research findings will be disseminated though a dedicated project website, the publication of an edited collection of articles, papers submitted to leading international journals as well as through workshops for practicing translators and interpreters, and community round tables.