Translating Languages and Cultures

The Translating Languages and Culures Research Group is committed to emphasising current discussions, debates, and collaborations on areas in which the research interests of researchers, teaching fellows, and doctoral students converge. Research-led language teaching, the social and cultural role of intercultural mediators in the past and in the present, cognitive linguistics, languages in contact, language-acquisition matters, second and foreign language acquisition, the history of languages, and sociolinguistics are among the areas of interest of the group members. Applied and speculative approaches, as well as literary, empirical, and critical studies in both the field of translation studies and linguistics are represented in the publications, conferences, and activities of the group and of its members. The group is distinguished by its interdisciplinary focus in which the study of literary, social, cultural, and linguistic aspects of mediation, translation, and language acquisition coexist and inform the research conducted at Durham in these research areas, which in turn inspire the modules taught, the MA programmes, and research conducted at postgraduate level.

The group maintains strong links with the international community of scholars working in the field of translation and linguistics; group members have successfully conducted collaborative research and externally funded research projects. New collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects lead to original conference series, establishing new research avenues, and prompt future research across many areas of linguistics and translation studies alike. Members of the research group are also involved in international research groups, such as PAN-ART, the Performing Arts Now — Audience Reception and Translation research group.

Contact Penelope Johnson or Binghan Zheng for more information.