Following an invitation from the Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII), a CETRA delegation were hosted this week by The College of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha, Qatar. The invitation was extended by Hendrik Kockaert, himself a CETRA member and the current director of TII at HBKU.
It was our task as CETRA delegates to organise an intensive research week for staff and students. Elke Brems and Peter Flynn held workshops and seminars during which they talked on such themes as reception, literary translation, cultural transfer, ethnographic research, imagology and much more all with a focus on translation and interpreting. They were warmly welcomed in an open and dynamic intellectual environment, which fortunately was air-conditioned as the temperature outside was 40°C and rising, with humidity levels reaching way above 70%!
The result: fogged over glasses each time on leaving buildings, cars and taxis but at the same time a sense of excitement about the next phase in our intensive week. The debates during the seminars and workshops were lively and stimulating. All participants shared a keen interest in exploring the various themes in depth and examining their relevance for their own fields of research and teaching. We left, passing on the torch to the athletes of the World Athletics Championships who must certainly be admired for competing in what can only be described as an outdoor sauna…
[text and pictures by Elke Brems & Peter Flynn]
The blog of CETRA - Centre for Translation Studies @ KU Leuven 