[CFP] When intercultural communication meets translation studies: divergent experiences in qualitative enquiries

Journal Calls
Journal: Qualitative Research Journal
Guest editor(s): Narongdej Phanthaphoommee, Nuntiya Doungphummes
Submission deadline date: 31 October 2023

Overview

The convergence of translation and intercultural communication studies embodies the cultural turn of translation studies in the 1980s, which can be observed in research domains as diverse as politics, ethics, psychology, journalism, advertising, and multimodality (Zanettin et al., 2015). Given that origin and target audiences are bound to be from different cultures, it stands to reason that translation is also an intercultural phenomenon or a form of cross-cultural exchange.

According to Bennett (2013), intercultural communication is the study of communication across cultural contexts addressing both domestic and international cultural differences, whereas translation focuses on a specific type of professionally facilitated communication (Schäffner, 2003). Scholars of intercultural communication and translation studies have long focused on how these overlapping ideas serve as the primary motivation for and key factors in successful language-related activities, such as intercultural awareness in healthcare research (Lê, 2008), translational action (Buhrig et al., 2014), intercultural competence in translator training (Tomozeiu et al., 2016), the changing role of translation and intercultural communication in the digital age (O’Hagan, 2015), mediation for the self and others (Liddicoat, 2016), public service interpreting and translation (Valero-Garcés, 2019), audiovisual translation as intercultural mediation (Guillot & Pavesi, 2019), legal translation (Bowen, 2021), and the revisited concept of intercultural mediation (Taibi, 2022). 

However, the root-sharing methodology between these paradigms appears to have a significant gap. In today’s world of possible misunderstanding and post-truth (e.g., fake news, malinformation, representations through translation/interpretation), we would like to encourage the exploration of the converging territories to provide any insight into theoretical understandings through specific case studies of intercultural communication. Such inquiries can be an adaptation of a translation- or interpreting-related investigation for an intercultural competence study or an intercultural communication-informed method for analysing context of translation/interpreting which goes beyond language activities.   

This proposed special issue delves deeper into the divergent experiences of qualitative inquiry into individual cases and their methodological constraints or possibilities, with the assumption of shared communicative significance and reflections on the frameworks used by translation studies and intercultural communication researchers. It also addresses the fundamental question of whether or not individuals participating in intercultural communication should embrace a given standpoint, contribution, and behaviour or distance themselves in specific contexts, and why they may or may not act accordingly.

We welcome proposals for conceptual papers with a theoretical foundation, methodological decision reports, case studies, and empirical research contributions.

List of topic areas

We invite papers that explore the following:

  1. Qualitative approaches on cases relating to the intersection of intercultural communication and translation studies
  2. A context-based analysis for demonstrating researcher engagement and developing a broad understanding of intercultural communication or/and translation studies
  3. Critical evaluation of theoretical and methodological advantages and challenges when engaging with particular cases.
  4. Culturally responsive methodologies in intercultural communication or/and translation studies 

We also encourage entries that do not address these themes but adhere to the overall parameters of this call.

Submission information

Please send abstracts (500 words, exclusive of references) to both editors of the special issue by 31 May 2023: Narongdej Phanthaphoommee (narongdej.pha@mahidol.edu) and Nuntiya Doungphummes (nuntiya.dou@mahidol.edu).

Full paper submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts.

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title When intercultural communication meets translation studies: divergent experiences in qualitative inquiries at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”. 

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else while under review for this journal.

Author guidelines must be strictly followed. 

All accepted contributions will receive double-blind peer review.

Key dates

Abstracts due (by email): 31 May 2023

Paper submission opens: 8 August 2023

Paper submission closes: 31 October 2023

https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/calls-for-papers/when-intercultural-communication-meets-translation-studies-divergent-experiences