Hans Schlierer – IP 16.11.17

Hans Schlierer – IP 16.11.17

Translation is not enough. Some thoughts and considerations about writing and publishing in English-speaking academia.

English is the dominant language in management science. This obvious fact is influencing knowledge production and scholarly text production in highly significant ways which often remain largely invisible and/or neglected. In this presentation, we will discuss some of these influences such as the role of literacy brokers and their impact of academic text production. Analyzing management science as a form of discourse, by which we mean organized systems of meaning in which sets of connected concepts, terms, statements and expressions constitute a way of thinking and communicating about a particular item, theme or issue, we will also discuss that discourse and language cannot be separated in knowledge transfer and how translation provides a cultural and political interpretation that needs to be problematized. The aim of the presentation is to focus on possible solutions and ways of handling handicaps that may come together with the hegemonic use of English for non-native speakers and writers in academia.