Practices and Possibilities Plenary
The difficult but urgent task of surmounting language barriers, at least in IAMCR’s three official languages (English, French and Spanish), was addressed in one of the major plenary sessions in México City. Divina Frau-Meigs (France), Ibrahim Saleh (Egypt), Annabelle Sreberny (UK), Aimée Vega Montiel (México) and Maria Immacolada Vassallo de Lopes (Brasil) were the panelists. Toby Miller (USA) and Brian O’Neill (Ireland) took notes, for which they deserve our thanks, and Sujatha Sosale (USA) presented a short report on this topic from the meeting of the Heads of Sections and Working Groups. A digest follows.
Divina Frau-Meigs
Not merely words and specific research are at issue, but whole zones of research, such as the very extensive French research on semiotics and cognition. Conversely, some work gets re-interpreted in translation, such as the U.S. appropriations of Foucault which are imaginative but quite distinct from standard French readings of this author. In general we need to stop ‘coping’, ‘making do’ and being passive, and adopt a more pro-active approach. Even some symbolic steps can be an important initial move. Admittedly traditional translation is costly, time-consuming and sometimes obliterates important nuances of meaning. However, practical solutions and small steps can be effective:
- Technological solutions, e.g. Reverso.net
- Support open source translation tools
- Our translators need a glossary to be created by our academic community
- Use Translators without Borders, and other civil society groups
- Use purely personal networks
- An important first step could be for IAMCR to establish a working group on language issues.
Ibrahim Saleh
First, developing an inclusive system of language diversity; based on mutual respect and focused on how differences can be a positive aspect to reach a common understanding of what the language, as well as its context is all about and what it represents as a whole.
Second, encouraging IAMCR members to gain real understanding of different aspects of language in media, culture, and ethnic influences, by making all IAMCR activities as inclusive as possible with regard to governance bodies, panels, research and all other activities. Yet, avoiding hurting people’s feelings and reassuring people that their beliefs, values, and issues have not gone unheard.
Third, using the theme of International Collaborative Research that was introduced in (‘08) in Stockholm in the Journalism Research & Education Section. Such cross cultural and linguistic studies not only help connect researchers and members, but also bond the whole IAMCR community and allow a space for unprecedented knowledge and mutual respect.
Fourth, monitoring communication language choices, especially with group members who are not speaking English as their primary language to avoid offensive misinterpretation of meaning that might result from changing context in translation.
Fifth, revisiting communication procedures to ensure that they are truly inclusive, by screening every year in a social event of the conference a feature film of the host country with subtitles to help other members to have a feel for the language, the culture and the society at large. Such initiative can emphasize the significance of language diversity in maintaining IAMCR as a truly international organization.
Sixth, developing digital library for IAMCR with different resources in different languages. The starting point should be with the three languages of the IAMCR. In addition, there must be partnerships in different regions to help translate what is already available, and include new resources from non-IAMCR languages, then translate them into the three languages.
Seventh, developing a new working group with the aim to focus on the linguistic aspect of media and communication research. This can be through covering the same events in different languages, or assessing the role of language in shaping media in one country in comparison to the other.
Eighth, introducing the idea of "Friends of IAMCR," where outstanding research papers and promising scholars are encouraged to attend (This is not travel grant), by providing them with financial help, and translate their work to allow accessibility, and encourage cross cultural communication. Such proposal will not burden the budget of IAMCR, because it will only require adding ($20) for example on top of every registration fees, and event could be scheduled every year to support this cause.
Finally, translating one or more of the exceptional research papers or books of IAMCR members that are published in non-IAMCR Languages (Arabic/Chinese/ German/Hindi, etc.) into the three main languages of IAMCR (English, French & Spanish).
This task should be handled by a committee responsible for selecting and approving the choice of such publication, and/or the selection of junior scholars who deserved to be recognized, and motivated.
Annabelle Sreberny, IAMCR President
Hosting IAMCR conference is getting more difficult, not easier. Simultaneous translation will always be a problem. With non-European languages it is not always possible to provide the facility. Yet the conference offers an unparalleled opportunity for intercultural dialogue. We need to be as creative as possible with very limited resources.
During the Cold War, IAMCR cycled its conferences between First, Second and Third Worlds. Since that time the situation has become more complex. IAMCR has indeed worked with local academic organizations to manage conferences, and relies on their invitations. To date it has never met in sub-Saharan Africa or the USA.
Plenary speakers have usually been chosen to merge the event with local/national/ regional cultures. Our various theoretical and methodological expertises should be translated.
Follow-up to this debate will be essential. So will collaboration among Communication research conferences. For example IAMCR’S current survey of journal rankings could be translated by regional Communication research associations. ICA’s current mapping exercise of regional Communication research associations will be helpful to everyone. We need to pool our resources on these and many issues, not be territorial.
Aimee Vega Montiel
English has been become the dominant academic lingua franca, and is the language of globalisation. It is the most common second language – yet in the Iberoamerican world there is less access to learning English as a second language. The effects of the dominance of English have been to segment and hierarchize academic work through: influence on research agenda and funding priorities; research issues in the global South tend not to be a priority in the dominant research agenda; academic structures and funding agencies prioritize publishing English language research. Latin American scholars therefore face a dilemma between working in English and in their own languages.
I would propose:
- Supporting regional associations and aligning with international groupings
- Fostering co-operation with regional bodies and UNESCO
- Fostering international research work, and acknowledging its originality
- Fostering local research and publishing regional studies.
As researchers fighting for diversity, we need to foster plurality within the IAMCR and support all the languages in which important Communication research is produced. When U.S. research conferences plan to hold their annual meeting in other countries, they should as a matter of course – this has frequently not been the case – consult carefully beforehand with their sister organizations in the country in question. IAMCR should sponsor regional research collaborations and events; it should also encourage publication of research from a variety of global regions. IAMCR abstracts should be in the three official languages.
Maria Immacolada Vassallo de Lopes
The issues are not just ones of linguistic diversity. The problem is a political one. Given its strong Latin American representation, IAMCR offers an opportunity to exchange ideas and opinion.
An important project for the Association is to study changes in Communication research in Latin America, understanding the socio-economic context in which they are taking place. We are building an Iberoamerican alliance of Communication research interests, but not to be provincial in our vision. We are not just receiving theories from elsewhere but building them in our research projects. From its origins in the 1970s, when there was a big expansion, Communication Studies now has a distinct disciplinary identity and vision. Our new confederation of research has been a major achievement and mark of progress. Scholars of the region need to engage with each other’s research in other languages. Being interested in others is about pluralism, multiculturalism. Dissemination has to be multi-lingual.
Suggestions from the Sections and Working Groups
The group debated the merits and demerits of having special sessions at the conferences where Spanish or French or papers in other languages would have their own sessions. Although having special language panels might ensure a comparable audience size (comparable with the general program), it was felt that integration of these presentations into the general conference would serve IAMCR’s mandate for the support of linguistic diversity in the most practical way. To this end, the following suggestions emerged:
- Providing extended abstracts in the other languages
- Preparing Powerpoint in different languages
- Piloting language translation software.
Brief discussion from the floor
- UNESCO: Discussion of language policy in IAMCR links well with equivalent UNESCO discussion. Similar debate some time ago: but how many would be willing to contribute money to translation?
- IAMCR should lead on multilingual policy. Everyone should learn at least their national language, their regional/native language, and a foreign language.
- We need to oppose the globalising tendency to anglicisation.
- We should aim to upgrade presentations, always assuming multilingual audiences.
- We should use IAMCR’s Facebook page to facilitate dialogue with other scholars.
- The opportunity to address IAMCR in Spanish is a sign of the times.
- European multilingual experience and tolerance is something to build on, and hopefully brings a break in the dominance of English.
- I congratulate this initiative. English-speaking scholars need to realise that the situation has changed.
- Need to adopt a spirit of openness to other languages. Others should follow lead of IAMCR example. We should feel an obligation to learn about Mexican published research (in Spanish).
- Diversity and accessibility should also include sign language. Conferences in Australia frequently are required to include sign language. This too is a matter of rights and of cultural dialogue.