Set up in December 2022, the Centre for languages and translation is a multidisciplinary forum that aims at research and study in languages and translation. At the core of the Centre are the values of celebrating linguistic diversity, interconnectedness of humanity and intercultural exchange.
The Centre will focus on programs that engage with a diversity of languages and on experiences that enhance translation practice, theory, and philosophy. The Centre will function as a hub for both academic and cultural activities that encourage the study of different languages through the modes of linguistic expression such as oral, performative, and written texts.
Activities
The Centre organizes annual events that include lectures by linguists, eminent writers, and translators. Workshops on Translation practice, language learning labs are also planned for students and members of public.
Informal research clusters for students interested in projects and events around languages are formed for extracurricular activities. Student members of the Centre are encouraged to participate in translation of texts, subtitling and other language related activities.
The Centre engages in multilingual activities and curated events of literature, art and films that showcase language diversity and uniqueness. Cultural programs that highlight the regional and international diversity of languages are also integral to the Centre activities.
The Centre also hopes to make available certificate courses in specific languages for the students of RVU by collaborations and exchanges with other language institutes.
Past and forthcoming events
The Inaugural lecture of the centre was delivered by eminent Scholar Prof. G.N. Devy, on the topic “India as a Linguistic Civilisation – Translation as its Culture”.
The Centre is now engaged in a translation project of a poetry collection called “Shapita Shakuntala” by feminist scholar Shail Saxena, a retelling of the Shakuntala story from the perspective of Shakuntala’s mental state. This translation will be published as book on the completion of the project.
Forthcoming events that are planned include a translation workshop, multilingual poetry sessions, a festival of films in foreign languages and a performance event in a regional language.
Logo
The logo represents the words “Translation” and “Language” in three different languages. A sample of three scripts from India with these words encircle the letters CLT in the centre. Devanagari, the most popular script that derived from the older Nagari is common to languages such as Sanskrit, Hindi, and a number of languages in India soon, the script of Bengali that evolved from Eastern Brahmi, the Kannada script that evolved from the Kadamba script. The scripts represent the significance of writing and text. In the background is a faint image of the letter ‘A’ in Brahmi script, representing the origins of sound and language.
