PhD studentship in Language Sciences, at KU Leuven for a joint research project with U Melbourne, Leuven, Belgium & Melbourne, Australia. Deadline: 24 December 2020.
The doctoral project that is to be carried out with KU Leuven as the host institution will analyze the policies, practices and effects of official translations that address culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Brussels. It will ascertain the provision of translation in public services in terms of numbers of translations, types of translations, target languages and types of administrations involved. It will identify the levels at which translation policies, both overt and covert, are formulated and enacted, how translations reach the various language communities, and the role of volunteer translation practices from NGOs and grassroots citizens’ initiatives in public services, particularly with respect to the reworking, re-narration and interpreting of information.
The candidate will select one or two language communities for detailed analysis of the reception processes, with particular attention to instances of trust and distrust in official behavior-change communication. The nature and topic of the communication will correspond to the issues of importance at the time of the study.
The research should lead to an evaluation of the way translation policies are formulated and enacted, with an assessment of their success in achieving trust relationships and influencing changes in behavior. At each stage of the research, comparison will be made with the same policies and practices in the city of Melbourne, with one year of the research being carried out at the University of Melbourne.
Center for Intercultural Dialogue 