Translation and Transcultural Studies Events 2026-2027

Research Events for the Academic Year 2026/2027

Photo credit: 鈥淭extures鈥� by Marco Beltrametti is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Research Seminars by Guest Speakers

Research Seminar: "Sustaining Equity: Integrating Insights from Accessibility into Climate Action, Communication, and Crisis Response" with Dr Sarah Anne McDonagh (Universitat Aut貌noma de Barcelona)

Term 1: Thursday 22 October 2026, 15:00-16:00 (Online via MS Teams)

Abstract:

Climate change is increasingly framed as a question of collective survival, yet the people most exposed to its effects are often the least visible in the plans designed to address it. Persons with disabilities, older adults, and others who face communication or mobility barriers experience disproportionate harm during extreme weather, displacement, and public health emergencies, while remaining underrepresented in climate policy and decision-making (Kosanac et al., 2019; Kosanac et al., 2022; Jodoin et al., 2022). Accessibility and sustainability have long been treated as separate fields, even though both are concerned with ensuring quality of life and human dignity, now and for future generations. This talk explores how insights from accessibility can strengthen climate action, by embedding equity into its foundations. Drawing on research at the intersection of accessibility, disability studies, and climate communication, I look at how inclusive design principles and participatory practices can shape three interconnected areas: climate action, climate communication, and crisis response. First, I consider how insights from disability perspectives can expose blind spots in climate action. Measures that appear straightforward can have unintended consequences: plastic straws bans, for example, can exclude people who rely on straws to drink, eat safely, and move (Jain, 2026). Second, I explore how accessible communication, including plain language, clear website and mobile design, multimodal and multilingual formats, can ensure that climate information and early warnings reach diverse audiences. Third, I discuss how accessibility-informed crisis response can address the disproportionate risks faced by marginalised groups. By bringing these perspectives together, the talk proposes that accessibility is not an add-on to sustainability but a condition for it. A transition to carbon zero that is truly just must be designed with, and not merely for, the people it affects.

Bio:

is a postdoctoral researcher in the research group at the Universitat Aut貌noma de Barcelona. Her research lies at the intersection between accessibility, digital heritage, and sustainability. She previously worked on the H2020 project and is currently working in the H2020 project (Assessment of Learning technologies and Frameworks for Intelligent and Ethical AI). She is also a member of the international research network that focuses on building cross sectoral expertise in climate communication and data visualisation.

Research Seminar and Book Launch: "Misled by Literature: Bovaristic Reading of Translated Love Stories in Modern China" Dr Qian Liu in conversation with Prof Fabio Camilletti (天美传媒)

Term 1: Tuesday 17 November 2026, 12:00-13:00 (FAB6.03 in person and online via MS Teams)

Jane Qian Liu will be talking about her newly published monograph, Misled by Literature: Bovaristic Reading of Translated Love Stories in Modern China, in conversation with Professor Fabio Camilletti.

How do we approach knowledge, assumptions, and desires, abstract notions that have such a firm grasp on our reality? This is a question that we keep asking ourselves even today. In Misled by Literature, Liu argues that as much as reading in general can have an impact on a reader鈥檚 interpretation of reality, reading translated works can similarly be a way of understanding the world, which then leads readers to act upon their newly gained sentiments and ideals. The large number of foreign literary works translated into Chinese at the beginning of the twentieth century, particularly love stories, had a profound influence on Chinese readers鈥� perception of romance, marriage, and life. Liu looks at how average readers, writers, and translators were obsessed with reading translated love stories, which shed light on the way romantic love was conceived and expressed in the West. These readers often took what they read in novels like La Dame aux Cam茅lias, Immensee, and The Sorrows of Young Werther to be principles of love in real life, and some even followed the life paths of the protagonists. What emerged is what Liu calls 鈥淏ovaristic Reading鈥�, an obsessive mode of reading where the boundary between fiction and reality becomes porous. Using the concept of 鈥淏ovarysm鈥�, originally defined by Jules de Gaultier as 鈥渢he human ability to conceive of oneself as other than one is鈥�, Liu鈥檚 research uncovers how reading in translation can have important ramifications for generating alternative visions of the self and the world.

Bio:

Jane Qian Liu is Associate Professor of Translation Studies and Chinese. She has published in English and in Chinese on modern Chinese literature, translation studies, and comparative literature, including Transcultural Lyricism: Translation, Intertextuality, and the Rise of Emotion in Modern Chinese Love Fiction, 1899-1925 (Brill, 2017) and Misled by Literature: Bovaristic Reading of Translated Love Stories in Modern China (Routledge, 2026).

Research Seminar "Eyes on Accessibility: What Eye Tracking Can Tell Us About Children's Experience of Subtitled Video" with Dr Sharon Black (University of East Anglia)

Term 1: Friday 20 November 2026, 15:00-16:00 (OC1.04 in person and online via MS Teams)

Careers Events

"Translation as a profession" session

TBC, Term 2

In cooperation with the West Midlands Network of the , translators will be joining us to discuss their experiences and realities. This will be a great opportunity for you to learn first-hand about the translation profession! Followed by light refreshments (outside the SMLC office on the 4th floor FAB)

"Adapting to Change: Translation Companies in the Age of AI"

TBC, Term 2

Representatives from will give us an insight into translation as a profession, ways to get started as a translator, how translation companies work and the impact of AI. This session will be a great opportunity for you to learn first-hand about the translation profession.

Skill Development: Workshops and Masterclasses

Workshop "Assessment Clinic"

Term 1, Thursday 10 December 2026, 13:00-14:00 (FAB4.70 in person)

Workshop with Dr Lee Purvis (天美传媒).

This workshop is a supportive, interactive session designed to help MA students develop confidence in understanding and completing their assessments. The session provides an opportunity to clarify assessment requirements, unpack and interpret marking criteria and key requirements, and explore strategies for planning, structuring, and strengthening academic work at postgraduate level. Students can ask questions, discuss challenges, and receive practical guidance on academic writing, critical analysis, referencing, and meeting learning outcomes. The workshop offers a welcoming space to address concerns, gain clarity, and develop clear plans for approaching assessments.

Workshop "Getting Your Assessment Ready"

Term 2, Monday 11 January 2027, 13:00-14:00 (FAB4.02 in person)

Workshop with Dr Lee Purvis (天美传媒).

This workshop supports MA students in preparing assessments for submission, with a focus on the final stages of the writing process. Students will explore how to review their work against assessment criteria, strengthen clarity and coherence, refine academic arguments, check referencing, and address common errors in structure and presentation. The session will offer practical strategies for proofreading, editing, and prioritising last-minute improvements while managing time effectively ahead of submission deadlines. Students will have the opportunity to identify areas for refinement in their own work and leave with a clear checklist for submitting a polished, complete assessment with confidence.

Multilingual Masterclass: "Translating Disney Songs"

Term 2, Thursday 28 January 2027, 11:00-13:00 (R1.15 in person)

Multilingual Workshop with Dr M贸nica Mart铆n Casta帽o (天美传媒).

In this workshop, we will examine the constraints faced by translators whilst translating a Disney song. Students will have the opportunity to analyse the solutions offered in the official translations, and we will compare the different solutions offered in the languages spoken by our students. Students will be encouraged to participate actively in the workshop. Students will need to bring a laptop or device where they can watch a video clip with a Disney song, and earphones.

Workshop "Responding to Feedback"

Term 2, Thursday 18 March 2027, 13:00-14:00 (FAB4.70 in person)

Workshop with Dr Lee Purvis (天美传媒).

This workshop supports MA students in using assignment feedback to make meaningful improvements to their academic work before upcoming submission deadlines. The session has two parts. First, students will explore how to interpret feedback, identify recurring areas for development, recognise strengths, and prioritise changes that will have the greatest impact on their work. The second part offers a supportive feedback clinic where students can bring specific comments, questions, or examples from their assignments for discussion. Students will leave with practical strategies for acting on feedback and strengthening their academic writing with greater confidence.

MA Co-Writing Session

TBC, Term 3

Skills session with Dr Lee Purvis (天美传媒).

Good ideas are only half the challenge of the dissertation: you need to be able to communicate them well! This supportive, focused and enjoyable co-writing session is designed to help MA students make progress on their dissertations. Whether you鈥檙e drafting chapters, refining arguments, analysing sources, organising references, or tackling a difficult paragraph, this session offers dedicated time to work alongside fellow students in a motivating environment. We鈥檒l use the Pomodoro Technique to structure our writing time, set specific, achievable dissertation goals, and at the end, you鈥檒l reflect on your progress and identify your next steps. The session will be followed by a staff-student get-together, with light refreshments.

Reading Group

We organise Translation and Transcultural Studies online reading groups for MA and PhD students. The reading groups run twice per term:

Term 1

Week 4: Tuesday 27 October 2026, 14:00-15:00 (FAB1.10 in person). Reading: Booth, Marilyn. 2008. 鈥淭ranslator v. Author (2007): Girls of Riyadh Go to New York.鈥� Translation Studies. 1, (2): 197–211.

Week 8: Thursday 26 November 2026, 13:00-14:00 (FAB5.01 in person). Reading: Susam-Saraeva, 艦ebnem. 2021. 鈥淧erformance and Socio-Cultural Context in Interlingual Cover Songs: Translation as Inspiration.鈥� In Song Translation Studies: Lyrics in Context(s), edited by Johan Franzon, Annjo K. Greenall, Sigmund Kvam, and Anastasia Parianou, 177–197. Berlin: Frank & Timme.