Scientific Conference “Culture in Translation” has been held

In the Andrić Institute, in Andrićgrad, has been held a scientific conference dedicated to cultural issues which has brought together about 130 participants from Russia, Ukraine, Slovenia and other countries, and from the University of Singapore and Hong Kong.

Head of Department for Literature of the Andrić Institute. Aleksandra Vraneš, says that the theme of this year’s conference “Culture in Translation” deals with a very serious issue, and that is translating.

“On the one hand we have a highly developed translation industry, and on the other we have a complete marginalization of the translational activity when we are talking about the evaluation of scientific and professional work, position of our translators in society and in other similar situations,” says Vraneš, adding that this injustice towards the culture of translation must be set right by organizing serious discussions on this subject.

She points out that it is completely natural that institutions dealing with multiculturalism and linguistics, such as the Andrić Institute and the Faculty of Philology, define this topic.

“Translating is not just a matter that means to translate a literary or scientific work, translating implies knowledge of culture and literature, education and scientific range of a nation. It represents introducing one culture with another one, the development and democratization and education, knowledge of world literature and the development of tolerance,” says Vraneš.

She adds that it is extremely important that translating is understood in this way, because world literature is a collection of translated works and can not exist without mutual understanding of writers, authors, readers and therefore translation is very relevant and needed.

A journalist of the Radio-Television of Serbia, Natalija Sinanović. says that at the conference she is participating with a work that is about the importance of the translator’s role in the news program.

“A journalist has to have a lot more knowledge than before, also she/he has to know at least one foreign language and to be able to communicate and on the best way to translate what it necessary,” says Sinanović.

The Conference has been organized by the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade and the Andrić Institute.