Alice Leal

University of the Witwatersrand, Translation and Interpreting, Faculty Member

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Alice Leal is associate professor and head of the department of translation and interpreting studies at Wits University (South Africa). She has a BA in English and Portuguese from UFPR (Brazil), an MA in literary translation from UFSC (Brazil) and a PhD in translation studies from the University of Vienna (Austria), where she taught for 14 years and also concluded her postdoctoral research on translation and language policy in the European Union (2021). Her Habilitation (Venia Docendi) was granted in 2022 by the University of Vienna in the field of translation studies and multilingualism.

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Carlos Teixeira

Universitat Rovira i Virgili

José LAMBERT

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC (Federal University of Santa Catarina)

Zuzana Jettmarová

Charles University, Prague

Sanjun Sun

Beijing Foreign Studies University

Kaisa Koskinen

Tampere University

Atbin Atbinus

Kocijančič Pokorn

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts

Monica Gomoescu

Transylvania University

José Santaemilia

Universitat de València

raidan mohammed

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Papers by Alice Leal

Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full? Reflections on Translation Theory and Practice in Brazil

CARLOS S. C. TEIXEIRA lice Leal's Is the glass half empty or half full? Reflections on translatio... more CARLOS S. C. TEIXEIRA lice Leal's Is the glass half empty or half full? Reflections on translation theory and practice in Brazil is a thorough study of many different topics that are relevant to Translation Studies these days. The book is ambitious in the sense that it addresses topics as diverse as translator professionalization (and the status of the profession), the goals of Translation Studies, the institutionalisation of Translation Studies, essentialism vs. non-essentialism, theory vs. practice, and translator training. It also goes beyond the scope of Translation Studies by touching on epistemological issues such as modern vs. post-modern theories, scientism, and the role of higher education. The 'glass' allegory in the title of the book is used by Leal to illustrate how different standpoints can affect the perception of the same object. It also allows her to talk about optimism vs. pessimism, since deconstruction has often been accused of being pessimistic and nihilist. Finally, it serves the purpose of showing how two apparently opposite concepts (full vs. empty) can actually be part of the same integral understanding of a given object; this brings in the opportunity to introduce the Derridian concept of double bind. Although the title also announces that the book will focus on Brazil, the topics that are covered are universal enough to be of interest to scholars in many countries. When the topics are specifically Brazilian, any cultural references are explained in detail, so the foreign reader will find it easy to follow the discussions. On the structural level, the book has several useful (backward and forward) cross-references. While these can make the text sound repetitive at times, they also allow for a non-linear reading and turn the book into a good reference work. The chapter titles are well chosen and typographical errors are hardly to be found, indicating a positive concern with the reader and sound proofreading. The book is divided into four parts. In Part I, Leal presents the main concepts that will be dealt with and the questions that will be addressed throughout the book. Parts II and III are dedicated to two Brazilian scholars-Rosemary Arrojo and Paulo Henriques Britto, respectively-who represent opposing views on the topics covered in the book. Finally, Part IV wraps up the discussion raised in Part I and illustrated in Parts II and III.

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Towards a multilingual modus operandi in the European Union

Multilingualism is one of the pillars of the European Union (EU), enshrined in its treaties and c... more Multilingualism is one of the pillars of the European Union (EU), enshrined in its treaties and celebrated in its motto, "united in diversity." Yet multilingualism no longer has its own portfolio in the Commission, having been systematically downgraded and now being under the auspices of the Directorate-General for Translation, a directorate which does not have a unit dedicated to multilingualism. Moreover, with the rise of English as the EU's unofficial lingua franca, increasingly more material is produced in English and not translated at all. Therefore, we should ask ourselves whether the EU's de facto linguistic and translation regimes are at odds with the treaties. Drawing together transdisciplinary threads chiefly from linguistics, political science, and political philosophy, this paper assesses the EU's current linguistic regime, while looking at different models of linguistic justice, language rights, and the value of language to propose a new linguistic modus operandi for the EU, grounded in (1) a language, (2) a translation, and (3) a transcultural turn.

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Between Omnipotence and Humility

Routledge eBooks, Jul 7, 2022

Language Policy and the Future of Europe

This volume offers an insider perspective on language policy in the EU, bringing together two key... more This volume offers an insider perspective on language policy in the EU, bringing together two key figures well acquainted with its development to reflect critically on the future of language policy and practices in post-Brexit Europe. Born out of Alice Leal’s English and Translation in the European Union, this volume features annotated interviews with Seán Ó Riain, newly appointed Multilingualism Officer by the Irish diplomatic service, whose decades of experience in key milestones in EU language policy offer a unique perspective on its development.

Migrant and non-territorial languages in the EU