The 2012 Binghamton University German Studies Colloquium theme is translation:
Translations play a crucial role in German Studies, which increasingly addresses an audience with little or no knowledge of German. At the same time, translation has made new material accessible to students in an unprecedented manner. From literary texts to feature films, news outlets and popular websites, YouTube, Google and Netflix, we now encounter a rich range of German sources – all in translation. Of course, there are some who frown upon this turn away from a German-language focus. These are only some of the questions we seek to explore in the 2012 Binghamton University German Studies Colloquium:
- What role, then, does translation – as necessity, practicality, process, torment, relief and guilty pleasure – play in German Studies today?
- How has the turn toward and increasing interest in the concept of translation impacted research and teaching in the field?
- What kinds of pedagogical approaches do we adopt in the classroom in order to make the process of translation present?
- How do we determine what makes a “good” translation?
- Are there works that elude translation?
- What are the best practices in integrating translation in its broadest conception in the undergraduate curriculum?
- How can the added value of book-to-film or similar translations be tapped?
- Should the craft of translation be part of the German Studies curriculum?
- How is the teaching of culture itself reliant on a conception of translation that we should (re)consider?
- What is the history of translation in German Studies? How has translation transformed the field?
Colloquium Keynote and Workshop
Preliminary Program
Keynote Speaker and Translators' Roundtable
BUGSC 2012 is made possible by the generous support of the Binghamton University Provost's Academic Program and Faculty Development Award, the German Academic Exchange Service/DAAD, the Harpur College Dean's Office, the Department of German and Russian Studies, the Department of Comparative Literature and the Wells Family.
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Location: Binghamton University (http://www.binghamton.edu/) is located just outside the city of Binghamton in Vestal, New York along
NY route 434 (the Vestal Parkway). The Greater Binghamton Airport is a
short drive or taxi ride to/from campus. Both Greyhound and Shortline offer frequent bus service to
downtown Binghamton from New York City and other points. The bus trip
from New York City takes approximately 4 hours. Taxis from the bus
station to campus are readily available at the station. If we can offer any assistance with your travel plans, please contact us. Note
that on-campus parking is available for a fee in the covered parking garage near the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts or in the
“paid lot” across from the Bartle Library. An information booth on the
main campus drive (entrance from the Vestal Parkway) offers
information on parking. The Colloquium will take place in the
Reception Room in the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts, which
is an easy walk from the Quality Inn on the Vestal Parkway. For
further information and directions click here. And here are directions to the Anderson Center Reception Room
Accommodations: We have reserved a limited number of rooms for
Colloquium participants at the Quality Inn and Suites, located on the
Vestal Parkway directly across from the Binghamton University campus.
From the hotel you can easily reach the Colloquium location (the
Anderson Center for the Performing Arts Reception Room) by foot in
five or ten minutes by crossing the Vestal Parkway and taking the
campus drive from Bunn Hill Road. The Colloquium room rate is
$79.95/night (single or double; the rate is tax exempt if you mention
“German and Russian Studies” as the group name for booking) and is
available on Thursday, April 19, Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April
21, 2012 (call 607-729-6371 or 877-424-6423). The block of rooms for
the Colloquium will be held until April 5, 2012. There are also a
number of other hotels (Howard Johnson, Hampton Inn) on the Vestal
Parkway, but the walk to campus is less pleasant. Sites like kayak.com might offer better deals.
Registration Fee: The registration fee for the 2012 Colloquium is $90 and includes meals and all coffee/tea breaks during the Colloquium and a Friday evening dinner at PS restaurant (cash bar). The dinner will follow the keynote lecture by John E. Woods, who will speak on “Einzelgänger.” The Colloquium will end on Saturday afternoon with a workshop led by John E. Woods. This event is also included in the registration fee.
Please send your registration fee of $90. by check made payable to
“IFR 900142” to:
Neil Christian Pages
German Studies Colloquium
Department of German and Russian Studies
Binghamton University SUNY
P.O. Box 6000
Binghamton, NY 13902-6000
The deadline for registration is April 2, 2012. Thereafter the registration fee increases to $120.
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Now in its third year, the Binghamton University German Studies Colloquium (BUGSC) provides a forum for conversation and exchange among scholars, teachers, students, translators and others interested in German Studies. It seeks to foster collaboration among and across programs, departments, disciplines and institutions. BUGSC will take place on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21, 2012 on the Binghamton University campus. Panels will begin on Friday, followed by a keynote lecture on Friday evening. The conference will continue on Saturday morning and close with a lunch and a workshop that will address translation in practical and theoretical terms. Information on the keynote speaker and the workshop will follow.
For questions, please contact Neil Christian Pages or Harald Zils.