The 4th International Conference on Language, Linguistics, Literature and Translation, organized by the Department of English Language and Literature at the College of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) commenced today, 6 February 2020 at the University conference hall under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Abdulmoneim Al Hasani, Minister of Information. The title of this conference is “Exploring Cultural Intersections” and it aims to focus on the dynamics of culture and its representations in the fields of Language, Linguistics, Literature and Translation. It seeks to explore ways in which cultural intersections could be conceptualized, critiqued or disrupted and ultimately reconstructed. Another aim is to provide a forum for scholars, researchers, academics, professional translators and students to be introduced to emerging research in their areas of interest. The conference seeks to help participants to interact with renowned academics from around the globe.
The conference features the following internationally renowned keynote speakers: Professor Lawrence Venuti (Translation), Temple University, USA; Professor David Damrosch (Literature) Harvard University, USA; Professor Alister Cumming (Language) Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, Canada; Professor Reem Bassiouney (Linguistics) American University in Cairo, Egypt.
The conference covers a wide range of themes under the main four areas of Language, Linguistics, Literature and Translation. Under Language, there are a number of themes such as ‘the power of language’, ‘the language of power’, and ‘technological innovations and their impact on cultural images’. The themes under Linguistics include, ‘intercultural communication’, ‘computer-mediated communication’ and ‘language and conflict’, ‘social constructions of the culture’, ‘emerging literatures’ and ‘building models of identity’ are among the themes under literature. Translation covers a number of themes such as ‘cultural hegemony and translation’, ‘crisis translation’, and ‘translation and technology’.
As the Department’s previous conferences, this year’s conference demonstrates how SQU’s English Department continues its academic leadership and excellence. The department, one of the largest in the university, is now widely recognized as amongst the best English departments in the region, with its graduates some of the most respected in Oman and the region. With a diverse international staff, the department is now able to make a significant contribution to scholarship worldwide, and as this year’s event shows, is able to attract the world’s prominent scholars to participate in its conferences.
In his address, Dr.Abdul Gabbar Al-Sharafi, Head of the Department of English, said that this conference “Exploring Cultural Intersections” comes 4th in a series of international conferences the Department has been organizing since 2007. “This the fourth conference aims to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas in the four main disciplines of language, linguistics, literature, and translation”. He added that the conference covers a wide range of themes under the main four areas and targets implications on research, policy, and pedagogy. “It reflects a synergy between researchers interested in relevant areas of inquiry and academic staff and specialists in these areas. More than 90 conference presentations are going to be shared with an audience of more than 200 participants from more than 25 countries”, Dr. Al-Sharafi said.