Lecture: The Foundations of Literary Multilingualism and Translation

Lecturer: Prof. Arvi Sepp

Time: 16:20-18:20, June 1^st, 2023.

Venue: B307, Sixuelou Building

Bio:

Arvi Sepp studied German and English Philology, Sociology, and Literary Theory in Leuven, Louvain-la-Neuve. He is Professor of Language Studies, Literary Studies, and Translation Studies at the Free University of Brussels (VUB) and Research Fellow at the Institute of Studies of the University of Antwerp. His research interests center on comparative literature, twentieth-century German literature, literary translation, multilingual literature. He has published widely on Translation Studies, Autobiography Studies, and Literary Theory and many books.

Abstract:

In this lecture, we will discuss the foundations of literary multilingualism and translation. The function of multilingual literature is not primarily pragmatic, but rather aesthetic. The discussion of questions of multilingualism thus has a distinct ethical dimension: one is born into a family, economic and social circumstances that determine the linguistic development and future of the individual and of the community. The speaker’s linguistic habitus includes inseparable technical and social competences that determine the ability to speak and the ability to articulate oneself in a particular, socially required or appropriate way. In this context, we will consider questions of translatability, fidelity, the hierarchical division between original texts and their translations, and the biased of translation.

Organizer and sponsor:

School of Foreign Languages

Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences