INContext: Studies in Translation and Interculturalism

Communicating Your Way Through Clashing Cultures

Timothy Byrne — 2023-11-30

This article examines the handling of Socially Acute Questions (SAQs) in the English language classroom. SAQs have been described as complex and controversial issues that are considered acute in society, in research and professional domains, and in educational contexts. Although intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is being encouraged by our educational authorities, teachers feel at a loss as to how to achieve that learning outcome in their teaching-learning units (TLUs). Many of them have encountered problems and even conflict when trying to deal with SAQs. Even though they are struggling with a sense of frustration, they continue to consider that addressing such issues in their TLUs is key to 21st-century education. In this article, a customizable toolbox is proposed that second language (L2) teachers can draw from to foster and facilitate constructive intercultural dialogue when dealing with SAQs in their increasingly diverse English language classrooms. It starts off with a literature review providing perspectives on SAQs from transdisciplinarity, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), and the Pedagogy of Encounter. It continues with an introduction to safe spaces, brave spaces, and story circles, as well as an overview of relevant concepts from cross-cultural pragmatics. The methods section then gives a detailed action-research-driven account of a racist incident that occurred in the author’s intervention group, a conversation class at the language institute of Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium. Drawing from the literature review as well as the case study, and in the absence of institutional support to handle SAQs appropriately, the article concludes with a proposal for a customizable SAQs toolbox, meeting the stakeholders’ (the L2 learners’ and teachers’) academic expectations as well as emotional needs. Little or no work has been done so far on how to deal with SAQs in tertiary education. The actionable roadmap proposed in this article tries to bridge that gap. Even though the case study focuses on racism in the English language classroom, the customizable toolbox can be adapted across languages, academic disciplines, and other forms of discrimination.

English as Lingua Franca or World Englishes?

Ying-Ying Tan — 2023-11-30

One of the key ways to realizing linguistic justice, as alluded to by Phillipe van Parijs (2011), is to welcome the use of English as a global lingua franca. Linguistic justice is defined as the condition in which the languages of linguistic groups are accorded official recognition, and the speakers do not suffer from social, economic, and dignity inequality on the basis of their language. However, the acceptance of English as an international language, as pointed out by many scholars, including Van Parijs himself, can also lead to potentially unjust linguistic situations. There are, in particular, three issues that come with the use of English as a global language, and they are (1) inequality in communication; (2) unfair resource allocation; and (3) lack of speaker dignity. This paper will provide a review of how political philosophers have talked about these problems, and the normative solutions to achieving linguistic justice. The aim of this article is to provide a linguistic perspective to the issue of linguistic justice. The author endeavors to do so by looking at linguistic justice through the lens of two dominant paradigms in the field of English linguistics: the World Englishes (WE) paradigm, pioneered by Braj Kachru; and the English as Lingua Franca (ELF) paradigm, a relatively more recent alternative developed by Jennifer Jenkins. The tenets of how each paradigm views speakers of English around the world are compared and a solution to the problem of linguistic justice is offered by thinking about “Englishes” instead of a single monolithic linguistic entity “English”. In doing so, efforts are made to highlight how linguistic justice can be achieved in the world of Englishes.

Media Memory Construction and Cultural Sustainability

Lin Deng — 2023-11-30

The sustainable development of culture is often regarded as the core of cultural security and uniqueness. The homogenization of culture brought about by globalization poses a threat to cultural diversity and sustainability as well as to the uniqueness of national cultures to varying degrees. In this context, pan-Asian countries have taken various measures to protect their cultural identity and avoid the breaking in cultural intergenerational inheritance. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea in 1992 and the establishment of South Korea’s “Building up the Nation with Culture” strategy in 1998, Korean culture has developed Hallyu, or the “Korean wave”, in China and other countries via K-dramas, K-pop, and K-movies, establishing a significant recognition of K-culture worldwide. Although memory can be both personal and social, shared cultural memory is a core element for integrating individuals. Compared with individual memory, media memory has more advantages in continuity and stability, and is almost naturally endowed with social and cultural significance. Therefore, constructing media memory to achieve sustainable cultural development is a feasible and reasonable method. This paper reviews the influence and evolution of K-culture in China, and takes K-content media and its acceptance in China as an example to explore the logic and significance of media memory construction of culture and enhancement of cultural influence, especially on foreign audiences. In addition, from the perspective of media memory construction, the paper examines the reasons for the gradual decline of K-culture’s influence in China, and argues that media memory construction is a practical way to sustain cultural influence, so as to form common experiences that relevant parties can learn from.

Indigenously Doing Disney

Soyoung Kim — 2023-11-30

In its hundred-year history, the Walt Disney Company has created multiple projects featuring characters from various minorities and indigenous groups. The purpose of this essay is to examine the later films of Walt Disney Animation Studios, beginning in the often-dubbed “Disney Renaissance” with Pocahontas and concluding with Frozen II, and analyze the portrayal of the native groups being featured within the narrative. Beyond this, the secondary aim of this paper is to determine whether or not any significant development has been made in said depictions in the studio’s projects, both as it pertains to narrative and visual representation, as well as reception from audience members, critics, and community leaders of said ethnic groups. Beyond the analysis of the chosen films and their reception, this essay will touch upon the potential conflicts which may arise when potentially vulnerable or traditionally ignored aboriginal groups see their culture commodified by corporations such as Disney. The findings of this essay are that while Walt Disney Animation Studios still struggles with representation and commercialization of indigenous groups, the company has evidently made efforts to respond to criticism, and increase its cooperation with aboriginal populations when developing feature
film projects. For the most recent example, while the company’s immensely successful Frozen utilizes multiple facets of Sámi culture, it does not directly feature any characters of Sámi origin. For the sequel, however, the company made efforts to work with indigenous groups to ensure a more favorable representation, resulting in largely positive reception from Sámi audiences. Whilst there are still problematic elements present, and the company’s commitment to fair, accurate representation is likely motivated more by financial incentive than anything else, some progress has undoubtedly been made.

Intercultural Legacies in Shaping the British-Korean Relations Between the 1880s and 1920s

Sangsoo Kim — 2023-11-30

Spanning from the late 19th to the early 20th century, the intricate dynamics between Britain and Korea reveal a multifaceted interplay often overshadowed in broad historical discourses. This article offers an exploratory glance into the multifaceted nature of the British-Korean relationship, touching upon a variety of political, economic, and cultural interactions. The study highlights the geopolitical concerns of the time, marked by Korea’s nuanced role amidst its relations with regional powers like China, Russia, and Japan and Britain’s intermittent sidelining of East Asia due to its global imperatives. The economic exchanges, while not vast, were pivotal, illustrated by the flow of Korean art to Britain and the seeding of British industries in Korea. Central to this narrative are key figures like Isabella Bird, Sir John Jordan, John McLeavy Brown, Ahn Changho, and Syngman Rhee, whose personal experiences and informal influences brought unique depth to the cross-cultural dynamics. The vibrant cultural exchanges, emphasizing both the arts and societal norms, underline the depth and resilience of the Korean-British connection. While the process of Korea’s reception of and response to Western culture took place primarily under the influence of the Japanese Empire, Korea was also unofficially incorporated into the global network of capitalism organized under the leadership of the British Empire during this period, and it is therefore academically relevant to analyze this division in line with recent trends in the study of the history of the British Empire. Looking at how the informal networks of the British Empire worked on the Korean peninsula holds significance. Ultimately, this comprehensive exploration underscores the significance of historical cultural engagements, emphasizing their relevance in today’s world of diplomacy and global collaboration. This article suggests that further research should address these issues from an intercultural perspective.

Simultaneous Interpreting with Accented Mandarin

Boon Yee Lim — 2023-11-30

This study investigates the perception of simultaneous interpreting (SI) quality among accented Mandarin interpreters in Taiwan. Four hundred Taiwanese individuals were recruited online for a controlled experiment, where participants were randomly assigned, in equal numbers, to listen to one of four SI versions. Each version was distinguished solely by accent: Taiwan Mandarin, Chinese Standard Mandarin, Malaysian Mandarin, and US-accented Mandarin. Subsequently, participants were asked to evaluate the SI quality using a nine-item questionnaire, and optional comment sections were available for them to provide written feedback. Ratings were analyzed quantitatively, while comments were subjected to qualitative analysis. Results indicate that SI quality was evaluated less favorably in terms of comprehensibility and performance satisfaction with increasing markedness of accent. The Chinese Standard Mandarin accent was regarded as the suitable stylistic choice because of its “standard” prestige. However, it also faced some criticism, particularly for what certain participants perceived as mispronunciations. Among the non-Taiwanese Mandarin accents, Malaysian Mandarin was perceived as the most favorable for comprehensibility and satisfaction, likely due to its perceived similarities with Taiwan Mandarin. In contrast, American-accented Mandarin received the lowest ratings for comprehensibility. Nevertheless, there was a general sense of support for the US interpreter, possibly suggesting that perceived deficiencies in SI were attributed to factors beyond the interpreter’s control, such as their non-native background, as inferred from their accent. This study reveals that accent significantly influences interpreting quality perceptions, challenging prior beliefs of its minimal impact and underscoring its importance in interpreter training and development. The interpreting market is affected by complex dynamics involving diverse stakeholder biases towards accents, so interpreters face the dual challenge of adapting to a neutral accent to satisfy client expectations while preserving their own accent identity. However, increasing global and local focus on linguistic diversity may enhance accent tolerance and reduce accent-based judgments.

Research Ethics and Church Interpreting

Jonathan Downie — 2023-11-30

This article applies recent discussions of ethical aspects of Interpreting Studies to research on church interpreting. Lessons from this case study are then applied to field research on interpreting more broadly, with an emphasis on the specific ethical and methodological issues that arise when examining client expectations of interpreters. It begins with an examination of the concepts of informed consent and reputational risk as explored in the work of Elisabet Tiselius (2021, 2019), as well as the concept of positionality in the work of Chris Mellinger (2020). These ethical concepts are then applied to a critical reading of the research that focuses on locating problems and challenges of church interpreting and evaluating the performance of church interpreters (hereafter called PCE). This research, which began with the work of Adewuni Salawu (2010), sees the goal of research as improving the quality of church interpreting by offering an evaluation of the practice, using criteria created by each researcher. This tends to lead to arguments that church interpreting should be professionalized via training existing interpreters or replacing them with professionals. It is argued that research on PCE is ethically questionable, in light of recent discussions of research ethics, due to the selection of data and the placement of the researcher as the sole arbiter of interpreting quality. These choices lead inexorably to reputational risk for research participants. The paper then reflects on how researchers could engage in the evaluation of church interpreting more helpfully, if important modifications are made to the PCE. This then allows the wider relevance of these concerns to field research in Interpreting Studies to be discussed with a special emphasis on research seeking to understand client expectations of interpreters. In all cases, it is argued that the views and interests of those experiencing and delivering the interpreting must be foregrounded, even at the expense of restricting the research that can take place. The results of refusing to do this will be the loss of access to research sites, broken trust with research participants, and ultimately, research that is theoretically and methodologically impoverished.