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As scholars and translators, Susan Bassnett, Maureen Freely, Michael Hulse and Tony Howard have driven translation theory and practice, and introduced new authors and new cultures to Anglophone readers. Their translations have provided economic benefits to authors and to independent publishing houses specialising in translation. Bassnett's and Freely's work with professional translation organisations has informed the development of professional translators, resulting in greater professionalization and increased public recognition.
The European Masters in Translation (EMT) is a partnership between the European Commission and higher education (HE) institutions in 27 member states that offer master's level translation studies programmes. The EMT sets a benchmark of quality and assesses MA programmes. Based on his research into low-quality translation in public discourse, revision techniques and the assessment of translation quality, Federico Federici co-authored policy documents to which all EMT partners must refer. His distinctive contribution is to ensure that, for the first time, the training of translators in EMT-accredited organisations should foster continuous learning skills and enhancement of skills so as to prepare students for lifelong careers as translators.
The present case study describes the impact of research at the University of East Anglia (UEA) on the practice, publishing and public understanding of literary translation. W.G. Sebald founded the British Centre for Literary Translation (BCLT) at UEA in 1989 to promote and encourage the translation of literary works, to support practising translators and to foster the study of translated literature. BCLT is a thriving international public cultural institute whose ethos and programme are shaped and informed by researchers working between the Centre and its academic home, the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing (LDC). Via workshops, publishing initiatives and a range of local, national and international events, the work of these researchers has had a significant impact on the public perception and understanding of literature in translation, and on the market for this literature within the UK and beyond.
This case study describes the impact generated by new thinking on the representation of the foreign in translation for the theatre. The main beneficiaries of the research are theatre audiences across the English-speaking world, as well as theatres, theatre companies and publishing houses. As a result of the project's insights into localisation and performability, theatre audiences have benefited from intellectual and imaginative engagement with a more authentic and lucid interpretation of Hispanic theatre and culture that challenges their own cultural values. The work has also contributed to the creative economy through the generation of income from the stage productions and the publication of translations.
In his 2004 and 2010 Oxford University Press translations of the Qur'an, based on over 30 years of rigorous scholarship, Professor Muhammad Abdel Haleem sought to make, "the Qur'an accessible to everyone who speaks English". Numerous accolades, including membership of the Arabic language Academy in Cairo, approval of his 2010 translation by Al-Azhar University, sales of 250,000+ copies and his receipt of hundreds of laudatory messages from readers around the world attest to both the faithfulness of his translation and its accessibility to a wide readership. Abdel Haleem has contributed substantially to interfaith understanding through his translations and interpretations and assisted interfaith dialogue globally.
The principal, interrelated forms of impact claimed for these two new editions/translations are educational and economic.
The educational impact derives from:
The economic impact (totalling £200,328 to date) has been generated by high annual sales (so far 24,204 copies of Nietzsche and 9,866 copies of Weber sold), with £67,279 generated between 2008 and 2012. These sales figures reflect the widespread adoption of the texts on educational courses across a range of disciplines and in many different countries.
The new versions of Weber's foundational political essays also "enhance public understanding" of key issues in "civil society". The new version of "The Birth of Tragedy" has presented a key part of the "cultural capital" of Europe to a wider international readership.
Building on their groundbreaking research and collaborative networks, Babych and Sharoff have developed a range of language technologies which now reach major corporations, small specialist businesses, a large industrial consortium, and agencies of the EU and UN. Their translation tools have had significant industrial impact by improving efficiency, consistency and user experience, and leveraging existing data collections for new purposes. In terms of policy, the research has re-shaped attitudes toward the ownership of data by demonstrating the commercial value of pooling resources. Individual translators have also benefitted from these technologies and related CPD courses, helping them to improve document flow, terminology and translation activities.
Since 1993, Professor Schäffner's work on translation competence development at Aston University has contributed to policy development within the European Commission and has led to an increased professionalisation of translator training across Europe. Specifically, it has helped generate a translator competence profile, adopted by the Directorate General for Translation as a benchmark for admitting postgraduate translation programmes to the European Master's in Translation (EMT) network. The DGT's overall aim is to improve the competence of translators and thus the quality of translation. Of about 500 programmes which exist across Europe, 54 have so far been admitted to the EMT network.
A series of cross-sectoral workshops brought together for the first time professional mediators and translators with academics to share knowledge and experience of the cultural aspects of mediation. The workshops addressed the question of how better outcomes might be brought about through a deeper understanding of the significance of cultural differences in the mediation process. The knowledge shared in the workshops materially changed practice in three global mediation organisations. In doing so it has begun to bring about a transformation in relation to translation and the cultural challenges in the process of conflict resolution across borders.
Jones's research-led translations expertly and innovatively communicate Bosnian, Serbian and Dutch poetry to English-reading poetry audiences (including poets) worldwide. His translations enable poets whose reach has previously been limited to single-language areas to expand towards English-reading audiences, thus enriching these audiences' cultural experience and enhancing Bosnian/Serbian/Dutch citizens' pride in their domestic literary heritage.
Jones's publications are the recognised English translations of these works. From 2008 to 2013, they have been used in numerous publications and websites as well as stimulating `onward' translations. His output has served as a catalyst for new events celebrating the poets, poems and cultures that he has worked on. The techniques developed as part of Jones's research also underpin expert-seminar leadership and translator-assessment work. This has influenced other translators' methods and enabled them to communicate poetry more effectively across linguistic barriers to increasingly larger audiences.