Monica Paulis

• Doctoral defence: 27 March 2025 at 9 a.m.
• Online
• Supervisor: Kris Peeters
• Register via monica.paulis@student.uantwerpen.be​

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to provide a systematic contextual, textual, and intertextual analysis of the rendering of language variation and multivoicedness in the seven Italian (re)translations of James Joyce’s Ulysses up to its centenary, by focussing on:

• the effects that the Italian language — in which Joyce immersed himself while living in Trieste between 1904 and 1920 — had on the creation of Ulysses;
• the plural presence of Ulysses as a linguacultural product within the Italian cultural system, enabled by the presence of multiple (re)translations, and the interactions taking place between them;
• the rendering in (re)translation of heteroglossia (foreign-language elements — Bakhtin 1981) and heterology (variation within one language — Todorov 1984), and the recreation of the polyphony or multivoicedness (Bakhtin 1981) arising in the source text from the presence of such elements.

The conceptual approach at the basis of this project is rooted in Bakhtin’s dialogism and specifically in the understanding that passages displaying heteroglossic and heterological elements are perceived as being multivoiced. Concerning the methodological approach, the contextualization of Joyce’s use of the Italian language is based on the analysis of primary source material (his Italian correspondence and essays). In turn, the contextual, textual, and intertextual analyses of the seven translations are anchored in Sociology of Translation (Bourdieu) and Descriptive Translation Studies (Toury), starting from the idea that translations are “facts of the culture which hosts them” (Toury 1995, p. 24).

Using dialogism as a conceptual background makes it possible to interconnect contextual, textual, and intertextual factors pertaining to the original as well as to the seven Italian target texts, and to see Ulysses and its Italian translations as part of an ever-evolving ‘macrotext’ (O’Neill 2005), which includes all of Joyce’s works and all their translations in all languages. From this perspective, retranslation can be seen as a process that allows the dialogue between the source text and the receiving cultural system(s) to remain perpetually open.

Miftahul Huda

• Programme 1 April 2025:
• • 2 p.m. Doctoral defence
  • 4.45 p.m. Reception with traditional Indonesian snacks and drinks, Balinese dance (by Dwi Mekar), and painting exhibition (by Eko Noah)
  • etinte receptie met Balinese dans (door Dwi Mekar) en een schilderijenexpo (door Eko Noah)
  • 5.45 - 7 p.m.. Lecture by Miftahul Huda (Future Directions for Interdisciplinary Research on Indonesian Education) and the Indonesian Ambassador for Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union (Challenges and Opportunities to Promote Tolerance in Indonesia)
• Room M.002
• Supervisors: Tom Smits, Mieke Vandenbroucke and Helge Daniels
  
• ​Register through email: miftahul.huda@uantwerpen.be
• Read Miftahul's blogpost: "How literature can nurture tolerance"​

Abstract

This research explored how religious tolerance is integrated into EFL classroom practices through the use of literature. It analyzed the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and their instructional and interactional activities and how these practices align or diverge from existing policies. By focusing on the teacher as the key actor who translates policies into practice, the research examines the interplay at different tiers: the macro (state level), the meso (institutional level), and the micro (individual teacher level). Using the integrated paradigm of Critical Pedagogy and Linguistic Ethnography, this embedded single-case study was conducted in 2022 in the Inferential Reading course at one of the Indonesian Islamic higher education institutions. The data were collected through interviews, classroom observations, and documentary evidence.

The results of the analysis reveal some significant findings. First, to some extent, the lecturers play an active role in introducing religious tolerance, though this role manifests in individualized practices and varying degrees of ‘active-ness,’ shaped by their understanding of the policies and their beliefs. However, the translation of the beliefs into practices is not always congruent. Paradoxes between what the lecturers believe and what they practice emerge frequently. At the institutional level, the policy vacuum provides insufficient support for the operationalization of value-based EFL teaching. Meanwhile, at the individual level, teacher agency is constantly shaped by such dimensions as beliefs, biographies, experiences, and pedagogical preferences.

Second, the lecturers employ a variety of teaching approaches to introduce religious tolerance. The effectiveness of a specific approach lies in its ability to lead students to link the materials with (religious) tolerance and create a classroom environment that genuinely reflects this value. However, the materials were often not intentionally selected for their potential to promote the value but are primarily guided by practical considerations such as students’ proficiency.

Third, the use of literature to instill religious tolerance is context-dependent. While the syllabus requirements serve as the impetus for incorporating literature, its success in promoting tolerance is shaped by the availability of relevant literary texts, students’ linguistic capacities, and the lecturers’ literary competence. Their instructional and interactional strategies to topicalize religious tolerance also influence how the classroom dynamics could trigger the discussion of religious tolerance issues.

Finally, the incorporation of religious tolerance in EFL literature classrooms is influenced by a complex interplay of several factors, including institutional policies, the lecturer’s individual features, and contextual elements, such as students’ language proficiency and their interest in literature.

Michał Górnik

• Doctoral defence: 7 April 2025 at 9 a.m.
• Online
• Supervisors: Małgorzata Tryuk (UW), Anna Jankowska (UAntwerp) and Wojciech Figiel (UW)
• Register by emailing rnd.jezyk@uw.edu.pl​

Abstract

Subtitles are widely used to minimise language barriers in audiovisual content. Respeaking is a technique for creating live subtitles and transcripts using speech recognition software. In interlingual respeaking, an additional element involves interpreting from another language. Researchers and practitioners abroad emphasise that the demand for interlingual respeaking is beginning to grow, but scientific research in this field is insufficient to understand the real potential of interlingual respeaking in the Polish (and other) translation markets. The research described in this dissertation aims to determine the potential of interlingual respeaking as an alternative to interpreting. The main research hypothesis implies that interlingual respeaking provides an optimal translation solution in certain contexts, as opposed to simultaneous or consecutive interpreting. This can be explained by the fact that interlingual respeaking offers greater accessibility for people with specific needs, allows respeakers to work remotely, and the final product is a written text that can serve as a basis, for instance, for later machine translation.

This dissertation consists of an introduction, eight chapters, a conclusion, a table explaining key terms used in the dissertation, and a bibliography and appendices. Chapter One explores theoretical definitions of interlingual respeaking, drawing from various scholars, and proposes a new definition. It also addresses concerns about Polish spelling of the term. Chapter Two delves into the components of interlingual respeaking, discussing translation strategies, necessary technology, and the cognitive demands on respeakers, highlighting different working models. Chapter Three outlines the history of respeaking with particular focus on its development in Poland and the impact of automation. Chapter Four reviews research efforts, addressing quality, respeakers' profiles, and automation's effects. Chapter Five presents challenges for future research, including technological changes, ethical concerns, and social inclusion. Chapters Six through Eight cover research methodology, findings, and future research directions, emphasizing translation quality, automation, and audience needs.