Part 6: UCL / SOAS (Online) Global Translation Lecture Series 2020-21

Abstract

The presentation examines the professional and economic impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the translation market in Africa. The pandemic has changed life and professional models all over the world and its ripple effects is now perceivable in all sectors. Although the language industry can be considered as one of the most virtual, the consequences of the health crisis affected the world and caused the emergence of new communication and contact designs. In Africa where the language industry has nothing to do with the known management systems, COVID-19 highlighted a number of variables, showing the real weaknesses of that industry. Based on game theory, the presentation seeks to explain why and how the African industry of translation is expected to experience a new twist in its history.

Bionote

Stephanie Engola is holder of a PhD in Linguistics (University of Yaounde I) and a Masters degree in translation (Advanced School of Translators and Interpreters, University of Buea). She teaches translation in the Department of Bilingual Studies of the Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences, University of Yaounde I since 2013. Her fields of interest are literary translation, computer-assisted translation and intercultural communication. She also teaches in other institutions, namely the Panafrican University and the Translation programme of the Protestant University of Central Africa (UPAC). She is the author of many papers published in various international journals. She is also involved in the promotion of translation at the national and international levels. As such, she is the General secretary of the Cameroon Association for Translation Studies (CATRAS) and recently co-published the first issue of Cahier de recherches interdisciplinaires sur la Traduction, l’interprétation et la communication interculturelle, the African Journal for Translation Studies, in July 2020. Besides, she is the local contact of Proz.com, Cameroon.