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Ailyn Agonia
Doha
MORE than 36 experts from 22 countries gathered in Doha for the 8th Annual International Translation Conference, which opened at the Qatar National Conference Centre on Monday.
Dr Amal al Malki, Founding Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), welcomed over 150 participants to the event which included ambassadors, industry experts, academics and media influencers.
Also in attendance were President of Pre-University Education at Qatar Foundation Buthaina al Nuaimi, HBKU President Dr Ahmad Hasnah and HBKU Provost Dr Khaled Ben Letaief.
The conference is a platform for industry stakeholders to meet and tackle themes subject to international debate, ultimately reshaping the boundaries of a profession faced with the ever-changing expectations of a globalised economy.
With the theme '21st Century Demands: Translators and Interpreters towards Human and Social Responsibilities', the discussions highlight the ethical and social responsibilities of translators.
"Through the conference being held annually for the last seven years, we have succeeded in shedding light on the importance of translation and interpreting not just as a profession but also as a growing academic discourse in the Arab world. We have moved from workshop format to full-fledged academic conference and dealt with multiple topics from multiple angles," Dr Malki said.
Dr Malki added:"The theme of this year aims to tackle the human and social impact of translations and to examine paths to the development and consolidation of the professions of the interpreters and translators as strategic players in social development and establishment of knowledge-based economy."
The opening day featured a presentation by Arab News Editor-in-Chief and noted Saudi television news anchor Khaled Almaeena on Translation, Politics and the News.
Anna Gil Bardaji tackled 'Public Service Interpreting as a Factor of Social Change' while Pablo Romero-Fresco discussed 'The Social Impact of Audiovisual Translation: Past, Present and Future' in their presentations. The lively discussion was moderated by Dr Ahmed al Banyan, first Dean of the King Abdullah Institute for Translation and Arabization and a member of the Board of Experts at the Council of Ministers in Saudi Arabia.
Another highlight of the conference's opening day was panel discussion on socio-political analysis of major issues facing the Gulf and the Middle East and North Africa region, focusing on how translation can play a part in ethically representing an issue in the broader public discourse.
Two workshops were also held on 'Translation Ethics: Identification, Analysis and Response to Ethical Issues in Translation' and on 'Practices and Benefits of Translation in Legal, Health Care and Community Areas'.
