walker@FLASH.BELLCORE.COM (Don Walker) (06/12/91)
Conference 22-23 June 1992 near Stockholm on
TRANSLATION AND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
New scale, New problems, New challenges, New openings - and first
and last: Changes!
The deeper integration and the wider geographical scope of the
European Communities are rapidly creating a very different Europe.
Not least, the language situation is being radically remodeled.
The first to be affected are the professional translators, along
with those who buy or organize translation or provide tools and
services for the purpose. Also, the translators are among the few
who can immediately affect the galloping development - and give
early warnings.
There are some worries. Thus, "old" members of the communities
report that the convergence has given rise to new linguistic
barriers: bureaucrats and politicians have in many domains developed
a "Eurospeak", with different versions claimed to be English,
French, German etc, which are just barely intelligible to unspoilt
native readers and writers of thenational languages of Europe.
What are the effects of these converging and diverging tendencies
on the political, economic and social life in Europe? And on the
national languages?
No European country will escape the consequences of this
bureaucracy-based revolution. Thus, Sweden, not yet a member
country, is translating a set of community documents tantamount to
ten years' yield of statutory law in the country. Can the Swedish
language with impunity assimilate this influx of new texts, concepts
and words? Without - as is the case now in Sweden and in most "new"
member countries - a co-ordinated planned terminological effort?
The peaceful amalgamation of autonomous countries into a unified
albeit pluralingual entity without Herrenvolk and lingua franca
seems to be unique in history. Will it remain so? Is it an experiment
worth observing for other regions which contemplate becoming more
of one region than a multitude of neighbours? When is multilingualism
a recommendable proposal?
To address questions like these, the Swedish Association of Authorized
Translators, FAT, in conjunction with the Committee for Linguistics
(FID/LD) within the International Federation for Information and
Documentation, FID, is organizing a conference, 22-23 June 1992, at
Biskops Arnoe, just outside Stockholm, Sweden. Papers focussing on
some specific aspect of this theme are invited. In particular, we
welcome comments on the following issues:
* A pluralingual community and its impact on the national languages
* Terminological support and language control
* The translation market after 1992
* Translation aids in a multilingual environment
The spoken language at the conference will be English: we regret
that we shall not have the resources to provide interpretation.
Accepted papers will be discussed at the conference and included
in revised form in a book summarizing the findings and results of
the conference meetings. Papers may be submitted in any official
language of the Communities and a summary in some other language
of the Communities should be appended.
Whether presenting a paper or not, participants with experience of
translating and translation-related problems are welcome. To
warrant an atmosphere promoting interaction rather than soliloquies
attendance is restricted to about 70 persons from all countries,
so please indicate your interest at your earliest convenience.
TRANSLATION AND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES CONFERENCE
22-23 June 1992
Biskops Arnoe Manor near Stockholm, Sweden
DATES:
* Submission of draft of papers: before January 15, 1992.
* Decision by Programme Committee: before March 1, 1992.
* Delivery of camera-ready text of paper: before May 15, 1992.
* Payment of subscription dues: before April 15, 1992.
* Arrival at conference venue: Sunday evening, June 21, 1992.
* Working sessions: Monday and Tuesday, June 22 and 23, 1992.
* Departure: Wednesday, June 24, 1992.
PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Friday & Saturday June 19-20: Pre-conference Social Programme
Sunday June 21: From 1 p.m. Arrival & Registration
From 7 p.m. Informal Gathering
Monday June 22: Presentation of papers; discussions
Evening: Panel discussion
Tuesday June 23: Presentation of papers; discussions
Evening: Banquet.
Wednesday June 24: Breakfast & Departure
Thursday June 25: Study visits to translation companies and
documentation departments in Sweden
THE CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Papers to be considered for inclusion in the conference programme
should be sent to the Programme Committee. Please send a draft of
the full text - not more than 12,000 characters - as a plain ASCII
text to e-mail COLING@COM.QZ.SE or on paper in quintuplicate. The
Programme Committee, after reviewal, will make its decision not
later than 1 March and notify the author(s) by e-mail, fax or telex
at the address indicated for that paper in the heading of the paper.
Each paper should focus on some specific issue of translation in
the new Europe. It should report about a recent or expected change
in the organization, conditions and market for translation, describe,
suggest or criticize tools and methodware for translation or debate
crucial problems of language policy and planning influencing or
influenced by translation activities. We shall not have space on
this occasion for papers, whatever their merits, on translation
theory or practice in general.
Accepted papers will be reproduced and distributed to the partipants
on arrival and discussed at the conference. The papers, after
revision, together with the results emerging from the conference
will be published in the form of a book which is expected to become
a work of reference for everybody interested in translation and
language problems in Europe.
Resources will be available for software demonstrations during the meeting.
Proposals for demonstrations should be submitted to the programme
committee in the manner described for papers. Please indicate what
computational environment your demonstration will require.
All participants as well as non-participating persons or organizations
are invited to exhibit relevant literature and reports at a book
show during the conference. If possible, bring copies for participants
to pick up. One copy of each item presented will be retained by
the organizers for future reference.
For possible commercial exhibition and demonstration of products
or services, please contact the organizers about terms and conditions.
CONFERENCE TIMES AND VENUE
The conference will be held at an old manor, Biskops Arnoe, built
on the site of anancient castle - the Bishop's Eagle Isle, to
translate the name - some 14th century vaults ofwhich are still,
as we shall see, extant. It belongs today to "Norden", an
Intra-Scandinavian cultural association which organizes training
courses and meetings on topics of mutual interest to the whole
Scandinavian area (and which finds the topic of this conference on
the linguistic situation in Europe, including Scandinavia, highly
pertinent).
For the purpose of such activities, a building for meetings and a
number of bungalows for accommodation have been added. The facilities
are modest but modern, with a bathroom in each room or in every
4-roomed bungalow.
Biskops Arnoe is situated in a rural environment, on a small island
of its own in the large lake Maelaren, about an hour's drive from
Stockholm City and about the same distance from Arlanda International
Airport.
The dates for the conference were chosen because Scandinavia is
very bright and attractive at that time, so that the business visit
can be combined with a tourist trip in Sweden. Accompanying persons
can be accommodated on the conference site at a moderate extra
charge, and they will be given ample opportunity to explore the
surroundings, fraught with historical memories. Within a few miles
of friendly land- and seascape visitors will find runic stones,
medieval churches, castles, and Sweden's oldest city; within less
than 70 km they will also find Sweden's oldest university as well
as its present capital.
The conference begins on the Monday following Midsummer, which is
celebrated during two intense days and nights in Scandinavia. The
participants are expected to drop in during the Sunday, and enjoy
an informal gathering in the evening. Pre-Conference Registration
To warrant an intimate atmosphere for open-minded constructive
discussion, attendance is restricted to about 70 persons. Place
will be reserved on a first-order-first-served basis. To be valid,
registration must be followed by payment for the full conference
documentation not later than April 15.
One set of the documentation must be purchased and paid for by each
participant. No additional participation fee is required. If for
any reason a subscriber cannot attend the meeting, the documentation
will be mailed to his address. The payment will not be refunded.
Active participants will be provided with accommodation, meals and
transportation on a complimentary basis. They are expected to pay
for their own transportation to Biskops Arnoe, for beverages and
for telephone and similar personal expenses. For accompanying
persons a minor charge, 250 ecu, for meals will be made.
The price for all relevant documentation, including the printed
after-conference report on "Translation in the New Europe", is 500
ecu for subscribers paying before April 15. Otherwise the price
is 750 ecu.
The final report will be distributed through a commercial publisher.
All payments should be credited to Eurofat AB, Account number 333
14 31, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken, Stockholm, clearing number
5244. For subscribers in Sweden, VAT must be added. If you wish
to be billed for the amount, please instruct us on the appropriate
receiver and address of such a bill.
ADDRESSES
All correspondence concerning the conference prior to the meeting
should be addressed to Eurofat AB, which is a company formed by
FAT for this particular purpose. Its addresses are:
EUROFAT AB:
e-mail: COLING@COM.QZ.SE,
telex: 15 440 KVAL S
fax: +46 8 796 96 39
voice: +46 8789 66 83
paper mail: Skeppsbron 26, S-111 30 Stockholm, Sweden
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE:
President of FAT: Leif Oestling
Coordinator: Hans Karlgren
Liaison Officers: Joachim Wesseloh, David Knight, Jean Heyum
Press Officer: Kerstin Ingmansson
Conference Treasurer: Bo Widegren
Conference Secretary: Katrin Sundius-Nordin
Post-Conference Study Visit Manager: Matti Jaernare
Travel and Pre- & Post-conference Tours Advisor: Heidemarie Nyrn
Cultural Programme: Adolf Dahl
Registration: Gerd Mller-Nordin
During the conference, participants can be reached using the
following address:
Folkhogskolan
Biskops Arnoe
S-198 00 Baalsta, Sweden
Phone: +46-171-522 60