- Media Studies, Discourse Analysis, Translation Studies, Translation and Ideology, Political Discourse Analysis, Actor Network Theory, and 17 moreEthnography, Multilingualism, Organization Studies, Language Planning and Policy, Journalism, NGOs (Anthropology), Press Release Distribution, Status of the Translator, News Translation, Translation theory, Amnesty International, Civil Society, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Translation, Language Policy, New Media, and Language Educationedit
- On this page you find many of my publications based on my research 2011-2021, after which I left academia. If you are... moreOn this page you find many of my publications based on my research 2011-2021, after which I left academia. If you are interested in my work, please have a look on my website http://winetesseur.eu, or connect with me on LinkedIn.edit
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This paper investigates the language strategy and translation policies of Amnesty International by discussing the translation of a press release from a textual as well as an institutional point of view. Combining textual analysis with... more
This paper investigates the language strategy and translation policies of Amnesty International by discussing the translation of a press release from a textual as well as an institutional point of view. Combining textual analysis with ethnographic methods of data collection and ideas from organisation studies, the paper aims to illustrate how the strategic use of language and translation plays a vital role in mediating the NGO’s message and in contributing to its visibility and success. The findings of the textual analysis are contextualised within data collected at the local office of Amnesty International Vlaanderen to come to a better understanding of why particular translation strategies are being applied. The idea of an NGO spreading one consistent message is questioned by showing how different translation strategies apply to different languages and sections, thereby addressing the difficulty of defining translation in the context of news translation.
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This contribution aims to shed further light on the role of languages and translation in danger zones through an interview with Ellie Kemp, the Head of Crisis Response at Translators without Borders (TWB), a non-profit organisation that... more
This contribution aims to shed further light on the role of languages and translation in danger zones through an interview with Ellie Kemp, the Head of Crisis Response at Translators without Borders (TWB), a non-profit organisation that provides language assistance in disaster settings. In the humanitarian sector, TWB is well-known for its work in amongst others the West Africa Ebola crisis, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Rohingya refugee response in Bangladesh, and the recent cyclone responses in Mozambique. Next to providing translations, the organisation trains local translators and interpreters, researches the language needs of crisis-affected people, and raises awareness of language barriers in crisis contexts. TWB is thus active in a number of danger zones that have not been explored fully in other contributions to this special issue, such as health emergencies. This contribution firstly introduces TWB and its activities in more detail, and then shares TWB's responses to a number of questions related to the role of languages and translation in danger zones.
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Purpose: This article aims to discuss the role of languages and translation in the context of capacity building in NGOs in Kyrgyzstan. It argues that language barriers can impede local capacity building, while translation can help... more
Purpose: This article aims to discuss the role of languages and translation in the context of capacity building in NGOs in Kyrgyzstan. It argues that language barriers can impede local capacity building, while translation can help overcome some of the issues encountered. Design/methodology/approach: The article reports on what NGO workers have said on the role of languages and translation in their work in 34 semi-structured interviews conducted in Kyrgyzstan in January 2018. The discussion is structured around a theoretical understanding of capacity building at three levels: the organisational level, the individual level, and a broader enabling environment. Findings: Firstly, the article demonstrates that knowledge of English plays a key role in accessing international funding and information. Secondly, it describes the challenges that NGO workers encounter when translating information related to development into Russian and Kyrgyz. Thirdly, it argues that donors do not overtly consider the important role of languages. Together, the findings suggest that ignoring the role of languages and translation can have a negative effect on project outcomes and power relationships. Practical implications: Policy recommendations for international NGOs and donors drawn from this case study and from comparative case studies on Peru and Malawi were published in Crack et al. (2018). Originality/value: The paper argues that taking the role of languages and translation into account can result in a more in-depth understanding of aspects that may contribute to better local capacity building.
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Editorial to Special Issue
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This article examines the ways in which the situational and institutional contexts of interpreting in war and in post-conflict development bring interpreting into close proximity with alternative and dominant forms of professionalism... more
This article examines the ways in which the situational and institutional contexts of interpreting in war and in post-conflict development bring interpreting into close proximity with alternative and dominant forms of professionalism which serve to condition the work and status of the interpreters involved. By drawing on evidence from conflict situations, the professional interpreting association AIIC, and research interviews, the article calls into question traditional notions of what exactly constitutes the 'profession' of interpreting. It argues that in the context of war, military professionalism has tended to allow little space for key tenets of professional interpreting, but that recent conflicts have led to an interrogation of how such competing professionalisms might begin to coexist. In post-conflict development, the traditional models of 'development professionals' have largely concealed the role of language mediation. While the shock of war has challenged the military and interpreting professions to reassess aspects of their traditional beliefs, in post-conflict development the relative invisibility of language mediation has meant that this questioning has yet to take place.
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Non-governmental organisations hold an important place in today's globalised society. After presenting an overview of previous research on Translation and Interpreting Studies on language mediation in NGOs, this introduction to the... more
Non-governmental organisations hold an important place in today's globalised society. After presenting an overview of previous research on Translation and Interpreting Studies on language mediation in NGOs, this introduction to the special issue argues that more research into NGOs' translation and interpreting practices and policies is required to better understand these organisations and their influence on global society. The introduction engages with what NGO practitioners and professional translators have said on current challenges in translating and interpreting in the context of NGOs, and what this implies for future research and training in Translation and Interpreting Studies. Lastly, it reflects on the use of interdisciplinary approaches to understanding NGOs as global organisations and discusses the contribution that Translation and Interpreting Studies could make to other disciplines that aim to gain new insights on these organisations.
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In the current climate where the legitimacy of Western-based international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) is increasingly put under pressure, some NGOs have started to change their approach to translation, often as a consequence of... more
In the current climate where the legitimacy of Western-based international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) is increasingly put under pressure, some NGOs have started to change their approach to translation, often as a consequence of structural changes within the organisation. This article focuses on the translation challenges of one such organisation, namely Amnesty International, and how it has aimed to deal with these. Drawing on ethnographic data, it describes the mission of Amnesty's Language Resource Centre, which aims to support translation at Amnesty into a variety of languages. The article reveals some of the tensions between the use of professional translators, particularly for languages such as French, Spanish and Arabic, and the continued reliance of smaller Amnesty offices on volunteer translators. It demonstrates that despite the trend towards professionalisation, volunteer translation continues to represent a significant portion of Amnesty's translation work.
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PRE-PRINT VERSION: http://doras.dcu.ie/23793/ This article explores aspects of translation, multilingualism and language policy in the field of transnational civil society. By focusing on translation policies at Amnesty International, an... more
PRE-PRINT VERSION: http://doras.dcu.ie/23793/
This article explores aspects of translation, multilingualism and language policy in the field of transnational civil society. By focusing on translation policies at Amnesty International, an international non-governmental organisation that performs a key role in global governance, this article seeks to contribute to a globalisation-sensitive sociolinguistics. It argues that combining a sociolinguistic approach – more precisely linguistic ethnography – with translation studies leads to an increased understanding of the language practices under study. Furthermore, the article calls for more interdisciplinary research, stating that there is space for sociolinguistics and translation studies to contribute to research in international relations and development studies by highlighting the role of multilingualism and challenging the traditionally powerful position of English in transnational civil society.
This article explores aspects of translation, multilingualism and language policy in the field of transnational civil society. By focusing on translation policies at Amnesty International, an international non-governmental organisation that performs a key role in global governance, this article seeks to contribute to a globalisation-sensitive sociolinguistics. It argues that combining a sociolinguistic approach – more precisely linguistic ethnography – with translation studies leads to an increased understanding of the language practices under study. Furthermore, the article calls for more interdisciplinary research, stating that there is space for sociolinguistics and translation studies to contribute to research in international relations and development studies by highlighting the role of multilingualism and challenging the traditionally powerful position of English in transnational civil society.
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Institutional multilingualism is most often associated with large intergovernmental institutions such as the European Union and the United Nations. Institutional multilingualism in non-governmental organisations (NGOs), however, has... more
Institutional multilingualism is most often associated with large intergovernmental institutions such as the European Union and the United Nations. Institutional multilingualism in non-governmental organisations (NGOs), however, has remained invisible to a large extent. Like international governmental organisations (IGOs), NGOs operate across linguistic borders. This raises the question whether NGOs use language and translation in the same way as IGOs. The present article takes Amnesty International as a case study, and explores what institutional multilingualism means for this organisation, how it is reflected in its language policy, and how it is put into practice. By gaining insight into the particular case of Amnesty International, this article aims to make a contribution to institutional translation studies.
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This article explores the settings and practices of translation at three types of political institutions, i.e. national, supranational, and non-governmental organisations. The three institutions are the translation service of the German... more
This article explores the settings and practices of translation at three types of political institutions, i.e. national, supranational, and non-governmental organisations. The three institutions are the translation service of the German Foreign Office, the translation department of the European Central Bank, and translation provision by the non-governmental organisation Amnesty International. The three case studies describe the specific translation practices in place at these institutions and illustrate some characteristic translation strategies. In this way, we reflect on how different translation practices can impact on translation agency and how these practices in turn are influenced by the type of institution and its organisational structure. The article also aims to explore to which extent the characteristics of collectivity, anonymity and standardisation, and of institutional translation as self-translation are applicable to the institutions under discussion.
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Research cooperation between academic and nonacademic institutions tends not to concern the humanities, where mutual financial rewards are mostly not in evidence. The study of eight nonacademic placements of doctoral researchers working... more
Research cooperation between academic and nonacademic institutions tends not to concern the humanities, where mutual financial rewards are mostly not in evidence. The study of eight nonacademic placements of doctoral researchers working on interlingual translation nevertheless indicates some degree of success. It is found that the placements lead to ongoing cooperation when the following conditions are met: 1) the nature of the placement is understood and relations of trust are established; 2) mutual benefits are envisaged; and 3) there are prior arrangements for receiving visiting researchers. A placement can be successful even when one of the last two factors is missing. Further, the measure of success for placements in the humanities should concern social and symbolic benefits, in addition to financial profits.
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This chapter brings together reflections on listening in multiple languages from the field of development aid, ethnography and academic research in general. It draws on an AHRC-funded research project that sets out to investigate... more
This chapter brings together reflections on listening in multiple languages from the field of development aid, ethnography and academic research in general. It draws on an AHRC-funded research project that sets out to investigate listening in the work of international UK-based development NGOs, who tend to present themselves as listening attentively to the voices of those they wish to empower. However, the aid field is hugely complex, with a variety of actors that require NGOs to ‘listen’ to them. By interrogating the listening of NGOs, this chapter leads us to reflect on our own listening as researchers, and makes us aware of the gaps in academic reflections on listening and the role of languages in listening processes. It proposes that allowing dialogue between researcher and researched, and critically re-examining our role as researchers can enhance conceptual and methodological developments for those working in multilingual settings.
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Pre-review version of chapter to be submitted for publication in: Robert Gibb, Annabel Tremlett and Julien Danero Iglesias (eds). Learning and Using Languages in Ethnographic Research. Researching Multilingually series. Multilingual... more
Pre-review version of chapter to be submitted for publication in: Robert Gibb, Annabel Tremlett and Julien Danero Iglesias (eds). Learning and Using Languages in Ethnographic Research. Researching Multilingually series. Multilingual Matters.
This chapter brings together reflections on listening in multiple languages from the field of development aid, ethnography and from academic research in general. It draws on an AHRC-funded research project that sets out to investigate listening in the work of international UK-based development NGOs, who tend to present themselves as listening attentively to the voices of those they wish to empower. However, the aid field is hugely complex, with a variety of actors that require NGOs to 'listen' to them. By interrogating the listening of NGOs, this chapter leads us to reflect on our own listening as researchers, and makes us aware of the gaps in academic reflections on listening and the role of languages in listening processes. It proposes that allowing dialogue between researcher and researched, and critically reexamining our role as researchers can enhance conceptual and methodological developments for those working in multilingual settings.
This chapter brings together reflections on listening in multiple languages from the field of development aid, ethnography and from academic research in general. It draws on an AHRC-funded research project that sets out to investigate listening in the work of international UK-based development NGOs, who tend to present themselves as listening attentively to the voices of those they wish to empower. However, the aid field is hugely complex, with a variety of actors that require NGOs to 'listen' to them. By interrogating the listening of NGOs, this chapter leads us to reflect on our own listening as researchers, and makes us aware of the gaps in academic reflections on listening and the role of languages in listening processes. It proposes that allowing dialogue between researcher and researched, and critically reexamining our role as researchers can enhance conceptual and methodological developments for those working in multilingual settings.
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A free seminar on 12 October 2017 at Senate House, London, organised by INTRAC and the Universities of Reading and Portsmouth, with the support of the Institute for Modern Languages Research (IMLR). Book your place here:... more
A free seminar on 12 October 2017 at Senate House, London, organised by INTRAC and the Universities of Reading and Portsmouth, with the support of the Institute for Modern Languages Research (IMLR). Book your place here: http://translating-development.eventbrite.co.uk
This seminar aims to provide a forum for translators working in the area of development and NGOs to talk about their work, and to discuss the challenges that it involves. It will bring key translation studies specialists and trainers into dialogue with practitioners, and it will inform broader translation networks, including the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), about translation in the field of development.
INVITED SPEAKERS include: Alberto Sanz Martins (Translations manager, Oxfam GB), Verity Leonard Hill (Translations manager, Save the Children UK), Jessica Matthews (Internal communications officer, Family for Every Child), Sarah Griffin-Mason (ITI Chair), Professor Christina Schaeffner (Aston University), Professor Myriam Salama-Carr (University of Manchester), Professor Frank Austermuehl (Aston University).
This seminar aims to provide a forum for translators working in the area of development and NGOs to talk about their work, and to discuss the challenges that it involves. It will bring key translation studies specialists and trainers into dialogue with practitioners, and it will inform broader translation networks, including the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), about translation in the field of development.
INVITED SPEAKERS include: Alberto Sanz Martins (Translations manager, Oxfam GB), Verity Leonard Hill (Translations manager, Save the Children UK), Jessica Matthews (Internal communications officer, Family for Every Child), Sarah Griffin-Mason (ITI Chair), Professor Christina Schaeffner (Aston University), Professor Myriam Salama-Carr (University of Manchester), Professor Frank Austermuehl (Aston University).
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Seminar series In a globalised world we are confronted with an increasingly diverse mix of languages and cultures, bringing new challenges to language professions. This series explores the role of language and translation in danger... more
Seminar series
In a globalised world we are confronted with an increasingly diverse mix of languages and cultures, bringing new challenges to language professions. This series explores the role of language and translation in danger situations, and considers what it takes to work as a translator or interpreter in these contexts. Presented by a mix of practitioners and academics, it will demonstrate how language professions have changed because of these situations, and how translating/interpreting involves more than linguistic knowledge. Interpreter, advocate, researcher, sister, friend: Reflections on relationships, roles, responsibilities, dangers and privileges when working and researching with asylum seekers and refugees in multilingual contexts.
Watch online:
Seminar 1 - ‘Training field interpreters for humanitarian organisations’, Dr Carmen Delgado Luchner: https://youtu.be/rKjUab1gg60
Seminar 2 - ‘Communication is aid - but only if delivered in the right language’, Sue Fortescue & Farideh Afshari Colthart, Translators Without Borders: https://youtu.be/V5Dgrky7gS8
Seminar 3 - ‘Interpreter, advocate, researcher, sister, friend: Reflections on relationships, roles, responsibilities, dangers and privileges when working and researching with asylum seekers and refugees in multilingual contexts’, Dr Teresa Piacentini: https://youtu.be/wsmrvdGLklg
Seminar 4 - ‘Police interpreting: beyond the existing Codes of ethics’, Dr Fabrizio Gallai: https://youtu.be/47qZCVgx-7c
Seminar 5 - ‘Translation, Interpreting & Peacebuilding after Ethnopolitical Conflict’, Dr Catherine Baker: https://youtu.be/pGuYIE6-0EY
Seminar 6 - ‘Languages in post-conflict development: working with NGOs’, Professor Hilary Footitt & Dr Wine Tesseur: https://youtu.be/-s3eQhMVMno
In a globalised world we are confronted with an increasingly diverse mix of languages and cultures, bringing new challenges to language professions. This series explores the role of language and translation in danger situations, and considers what it takes to work as a translator or interpreter in these contexts. Presented by a mix of practitioners and academics, it will demonstrate how language professions have changed because of these situations, and how translating/interpreting involves more than linguistic knowledge. Interpreter, advocate, researcher, sister, friend: Reflections on relationships, roles, responsibilities, dangers and privileges when working and researching with asylum seekers and refugees in multilingual contexts.
Watch online:
Seminar 1 - ‘Training field interpreters for humanitarian organisations’, Dr Carmen Delgado Luchner: https://youtu.be/rKjUab1gg60
Seminar 2 - ‘Communication is aid - but only if delivered in the right language’, Sue Fortescue & Farideh Afshari Colthart, Translators Without Borders: https://youtu.be/V5Dgrky7gS8
Seminar 3 - ‘Interpreter, advocate, researcher, sister, friend: Reflections on relationships, roles, responsibilities, dangers and privileges when working and researching with asylum seekers and refugees in multilingual contexts’, Dr Teresa Piacentini: https://youtu.be/wsmrvdGLklg
Seminar 4 - ‘Police interpreting: beyond the existing Codes of ethics’, Dr Fabrizio Gallai: https://youtu.be/47qZCVgx-7c
Seminar 5 - ‘Translation, Interpreting & Peacebuilding after Ethnopolitical Conflict’, Dr Catherine Baker: https://youtu.be/pGuYIE6-0EY
Seminar 6 - ‘Languages in post-conflict development: working with NGOs’, Professor Hilary Footitt & Dr Wine Tesseur: https://youtu.be/-s3eQhMVMno
Research Interests: Translation Studies, Multilingualism, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Globalisation and Development, Humanitarian Intervention, and 6 moreInterpreting Studies, Conflict Resolution, Sociological Models of Translation and Interpreting, Translation and Interpreting, Multilingualism and Migrations, and Refugees and Forced Migration Studies
This report describes the discussions held at a round table on translation policies at NGOs, held at Aston University, Birmingham on 22 June 2015. The event brought together NGO practitioners from Oxfam, Amnesty International, Family for... more
This report describes the discussions held at a round table on translation policies at NGOs, held at Aston University, Birmingham on 22 June 2015. The event brought together NGO practitioners from Oxfam, Amnesty International, Family for Every Child and the Refugee and Migrant Centre with academics and translators, to discuss challenges that NGOs and charities face when providing translation and interpreting, and to learn from each other.
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Programme
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International non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are powerful political players who aim to influence global society. In order to be effective on a global scale, they must communicate their goals and achievements in different languages.... more
International non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are powerful political players who aim to influence global society. In order to be effective on a global scale, they must communicate their goals and achievements in different languages. Translation and translation policy play an essential role here. Despite NGOs’ important position in politics and society, not much is known about how these organisations, who often have limited funds available, organise their translation work. This study aims to contribute to Translation Studies, and more specifically to investigating institutional translation, by exploring translation policies at Amnesty International, one of the most successful and powerful human rights NGOs around the world. Translation policy is understood as comprising three components: translation management, translation practices, and translation beliefs, based on Spolsky’s study of language policy (2004). The thesis investigates how translation is organised and what kind of...
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This talk presents some of our experiences in training ICRC and UNHCR interpreters and can be accessed on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKjUab1gg60&t=962s
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Slides from the Aston University conference "Translation and Interpreting in Multilingual Contexts", 19 February 2016
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Conference poster presented at TRIG conference as an overview of my PhD research and its findings.
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This paper discusses results from fieldwork carried out at Amnesty International Vlaanderen (AIVL) in order to investigate their translation policy. In line with Spolsky (2004), translation policy is defined as comprising translation... more
This paper discusses results from fieldwork carried out at Amnesty International Vlaanderen (AIVL) in order to investigate their translation policy. In line with Spolsky (2004), translation policy is defined as comprising translation management, translation practice, and translation beliefs. These three components interact and shape one another. In order to investigate these three elements of translation policy, the analysis of policy documents was complemented by fieldwork at the institution in question. The paper addresses the difficult position of the researcher as a participant observer at the Amnesty office. Conducting research is generally based on the assumption that we are investigating something “outside” ourselves. Yet in ethnographic research, the researcher unavoidably forms part of the social world he or she is examining. The interpretation of the data is therefore dependent on the researcher’s personal knowledge and understanding. Furthermore, the data themselves are unavoidably affected by the presence of the researcher in the field. Observing AIVL’s translation practices and asking questions about translation had a lasting impact on the participants’ beliefs relating to translation. These changed beliefs also gave rise to changes in translation practice. Furthermore, AIVL explicitly asked for the researcher’s help in developing low-cost tools to improve translation work. The paper explores the thin line between an ethnographic approach and Action Research, and discusses some of the difficulties the researcher is faced with when analysing and writing up the data.
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This paper explores the challenges involved in pursuing a research project on news translation within political institutions in the field of Translation Studies. Whereas most research on news translation has been conducted in the context... more
This paper explores the challenges involved in pursuing a research project on news translation within political institutions in the field of Translation Studies. Whereas most research on news translation has been conducted in the context of traditional news providers such as newspapers, news agencies and television, this paper provides a different perspective on translation processes of news at an NGO. NGOs are considered as highly independent sources of news by the general public, and traditional news media often rely on NGOs for news material when they lack a local correspondent or need to report on areas that are difficult to gain access to. As such, NGOs have become increasingly important as news providers. This paper explores how translation of press releases at Amnesty International is organised throughout this worldwide human rights organisation. It shows some of the strategies applied by different Amnesty offices when translating press releases into different languages, and problematises the concepts we can use to describe these processes. Can we use such concepts as “localisation”, “adaptation”, “transediting” and even “translation” in this context? To gain new insights in how these concepts could be interpreted, the paper compares a number of definitions from Translation Studies and related research fields with those used by Amnesty International itself. By doing so, the paper hopes to add a new perspective to the field of and the discussion on news translation.
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"The international NGO Amnesty International is active in more than 150 countries. Logically, the organisation translates tremendous amounts of texts. Official communication happens in English, French, Spanish, and to a lesser degree... more
"The international NGO Amnesty International is active in more than 150 countries. Logically, the
organisation translates tremendous amounts of texts. Official communication happens in English,
French, Spanish, and to a lesser degree in Arabic. These translations are produced by Amnesty’s
International Secretariat. Sections that require translations into different languages, need to produce
these themselves, without there being any organisation-wide translation policies or agreements. Such a
situation might well be said to bring about a breach in communication: translations into French,
Spanish and Arabic happen very consistently, following the strategies and policies maintained at the
International Secretariat. As far as translation at other sections goes, however, Amnesty International
does not have clear policies on what needs to be translated and how, nor does it have any idea of what
sections are doing when it comes to translation. Being aware of this problem and of the importance of
language and translation, Amnesty founded a Language Resource Centre in 2010, intended to get a
clear-cut idea about translation at the different sections and to support them in language and translation
issues.
This paper describes the findings of fieldwork conducted at Amnesty International Flanders and
at Amnesty International Language Resource Centre in Madrid. It goes into issues of multilingualism
in an international organization like Amnesty, and discusses the differences in prevailing translation
strategies and policies between the two sections. Attention is paid to the dichotomies between staff and
volunteer translators, and between translation into major versus minor languages. It defines the benefits
and disadvantages of Amnesty’s translation network, and describes whether Amnesty’s current
organisation of translation work serves to create a common culture, or rather divides the different
cultures involved due to a lack of clear and organisation-wide translation policies. "
organisation translates tremendous amounts of texts. Official communication happens in English,
French, Spanish, and to a lesser degree in Arabic. These translations are produced by Amnesty’s
International Secretariat. Sections that require translations into different languages, need to produce
these themselves, without there being any organisation-wide translation policies or agreements. Such a
situation might well be said to bring about a breach in communication: translations into French,
Spanish and Arabic happen very consistently, following the strategies and policies maintained at the
International Secretariat. As far as translation at other sections goes, however, Amnesty International
does not have clear policies on what needs to be translated and how, nor does it have any idea of what
sections are doing when it comes to translation. Being aware of this problem and of the importance of
language and translation, Amnesty founded a Language Resource Centre in 2010, intended to get a
clear-cut idea about translation at the different sections and to support them in language and translation
issues.
This paper describes the findings of fieldwork conducted at Amnesty International Flanders and
at Amnesty International Language Resource Centre in Madrid. It goes into issues of multilingualism
in an international organization like Amnesty, and discusses the differences in prevailing translation
strategies and policies between the two sections. Attention is paid to the dichotomies between staff and
volunteer translators, and between translation into major versus minor languages. It defines the benefits
and disadvantages of Amnesty’s translation network, and describes whether Amnesty’s current
organisation of translation work serves to create a common culture, or rather divides the different
cultures involved due to a lack of clear and organisation-wide translation policies. "
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Transnational non-governmental organizations (NGOs) enjoy strong public reputations as neutral experts providing vital information on pressing issues (Ron, Ramos & Rodgers 2005: 557). Over the years, Amnesty International has come to... more
Transnational non-governmental organizations (NGOs) enjoy strong public reputations as neutral experts providing vital information on pressing issues (Ron, Ramos & Rodgers 2005: 557). Over the years, Amnesty International has come to produce increasingly more press releases. This paper traces the production of these press releases and the role translation plays in it, basing its findings on fieldwork conducted at two Amnesty sections: Amnesty International Vlaanderen and Amnesty International Language Resource Centre/EDAI in Madrid.
The paper explains the organisation of translation work throughout Amnesty International. Starting from Bielsa & Bassnett (2009) who found that translation of news is not translation as generally understood and that journalists object to being labelled as translators, the paper examines translation practices and policies at Amnesty International. Is the situation different for an NGO than for a mass media institution? Are there actual translators working in its press and communication department? Does the institution require staff with foreign language competence? To what extent is there collaboration with other sections in other countries of Amnesty International?
Next to this, the paper traces how press releases at Amnesty International Vlaanderen are produced. Central questions are: Who writes and/or translates the texts? Who takes the decisions and why at which point? Although Amnesty International has a strong reputation as a neutral provider of news, previous research has pointed out that their selection of news is influenced by a number of other factors besides the human rights conditions aspect, such as state power, US military assistance and a country’s media profile (Ron, Ramos & Rodgers 2005). Could language also be said to be an influential factor for the selection of news items? Taking into account the findings of the extratextual research, the paper briefly looks at a textual example and demonstrates how the processes and policies observed through the fieldwork are reflected in them.""
The paper explains the organisation of translation work throughout Amnesty International. Starting from Bielsa & Bassnett (2009) who found that translation of news is not translation as generally understood and that journalists object to being labelled as translators, the paper examines translation practices and policies at Amnesty International. Is the situation different for an NGO than for a mass media institution? Are there actual translators working in its press and communication department? Does the institution require staff with foreign language competence? To what extent is there collaboration with other sections in other countries of Amnesty International?
Next to this, the paper traces how press releases at Amnesty International Vlaanderen are produced. Central questions are: Who writes and/or translates the texts? Who takes the decisions and why at which point? Although Amnesty International has a strong reputation as a neutral provider of news, previous research has pointed out that their selection of news is influenced by a number of other factors besides the human rights conditions aspect, such as state power, US military assistance and a country’s media profile (Ron, Ramos & Rodgers 2005). Could language also be said to be an influential factor for the selection of news items? Taking into account the findings of the extratextual research, the paper briefly looks at a textual example and demonstrates how the processes and policies observed through the fieldwork are reflected in them.""
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From ITI Bulletin, November-December 2015. Wine Tesseur introduces a new research project to explore how NGOs tackle cross-cultural communication in their development programmes.
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Non-academic article in the ITI Bulletin (Institute for Translation and Interpreting) on doing research on Amnesty International. The article describes the main aims of my PhD research, and my experiences in collaborating with Amnesty. It... more
Non-academic article in the ITI Bulletin (Institute for Translation and Interpreting) on doing research on Amnesty International. The article describes the main aims of my PhD research, and my experiences in collaborating with Amnesty. It also sets out my ideas on what a researcher working on language and translation policy can contribute to an NGO.
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In my master’s thesis I examine the translation tactics and overall strategy used in the Dutch translation Op het lichaam geschreven (1992) of Jeanette Winterson’s novel Written on the Body (1992). The focus is in particular on how the... more
In my master’s thesis I examine the translation tactics and overall strategy used in the Dutch translation Op het lichaam geschreven (1992) of Jeanette Winterson’s novel Written on the Body (1992). The focus is in particular on how the translator dealt with difficult issues of gender, sexuality and identity in the novel. Given Winterson’s contestational stance on gender, sexuality and identity and their subsequent transposition into and representation in fiction, and the numerous critical responses the book has received from scholars and others working within gender studies, etc., the translation was examined to see whether the emergent translation strategy manifested an awareness of Winterson’s sometimes evasive style of writing in the novel. To explore gender in language use in Written on the Body I drew up a typology of gender clues in (written) language and applied them to the novel. To draw up this typology, I consulted a number of scholarly works on gender in language use and in translation. The comparison of the original and the translation was carried out by using Kitty Van Leuven-Zwart categorization system, the purpose being to identify shifts that are relevant for the narrator’s gender and the perception of it. These shifts serve to form an idea of the translator’s awareness of the importance of gender in Winterson’s novel.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
fears of those disciplines that are wary of the possible hegemonic tendencies of TS. Therefore, the volume Border Crossing is not a finished project but a project that needs to be continuously supplemented. First of all, it is obvious... more
fears of those disciplines that are wary of the possible hegemonic tendencies of TS. Therefore, the volume Border Crossing is not a finished project but a project that needs to be continuously supplemented. First of all, it is obvious that rapid advances in some fields (in particular in computational linguistics and machine translation) will demand regular updates, particularly as far as future challenges are concerned. Secondly, despite the considerable length of the work, there are still quite a few additional disciplines that deserve to be drawn into a dialogue with TS. The latter is freely admitted by the editors, who are aware that they have not covered even the entire ground that they set out to discuss, lamenting the fact that many disciplines that had been invited (among them ethnography, linguistics, literary studies, psychology) do not appear in the volume. In addition to those mentioned by the editors, other areas of interdisciplinary research one might also enjoy reading about touch on some of the most pressing problems triggered by migration. This might include chapters that would provide a dialogue between TS and healthcare (e.g. in the field of multilingual healthcare), cultural anthropology (e.g. contrasting the work of intercultural mediators with that of community interpreters), sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, critical discourse analysis, border and communication studies and many more. Thus, we should conclude by agreeing with the editors that their attempt to outline the interdisciplinary research in TS is an unfinished story and one that asks to be continued.