Prof Jean Boase-Beier
| Job Title | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Professor of Literature & Translation |
J dot Boase-beier at uea dot ac dot uk
Tel: 3360/3564 |
Arts Building 2.50 |
Biography
Professor Jean Boase-Beier studied English and Linguistics at the University of Regensburg, Germany, where she also lectured in Linguistics and German and led a research project funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinshaft (German Research Council) on Word Formation. She has taught Literary Translation, Linguistics, German and Stylistics at UEA since 1991 and set up UEA's MA in Literary Translation in 1993. An Executive Committee member of the British Comparative Literature Association (and organiser of the John Dryden Translation Competition) and former Executive Committee member of the Translators Association, she is also a translator between German and English and the editor of the Visible Poets series of bilingual poetry books (Arc Publications).
Career
Key Research Interests
Present research: A Critical Introduction to Translation Studies, for Continuum. This is an examination of the theory-practice link, and how it can be approached from the point of view of cognitive literary theory. That is, how issues such as author, text, the literary, literary language, metaphor, literary understanding, reading are relevant to the way we do translation theory and to the question of the extent to which it is both a description of what translators do and also informs the practice of translation. Also an article on theory and practice of translation for another book with Continuum, and work on the translation of Paul Celan. I also edit a series of bilingual poetry books for Arc Publications.
My research interests are translation theory and practice, and the link between them; poetry and its translation; theories of poetics and stylistics. In particular I am interested in what constitutes knowledge and cognitive context, and how we read and write and translate texts, especially poetic texts.
Supervision interests: literary translation (any genre); stylistics and poetics (with or without translation); post-Holocaust writing; cognitive literary theory, all areas of Literary Translation.
Past Research Projects and Grants
| Project Title | Start Date | End Date | Funding Body |
|---|---|---|---|
| The State of Stylistics | 26/7/2006 | 29/7/2006 | British Academy |
Teaching Interests
Jean Boase-Beier teaches Literary Translation, especially Translation Theory (LITEM037: Translation Theory) and Translation and Style (LITEM033: Stylistics for Translators), at MA level. At undergraduate level she teaches writing and translation modules (LITE1F13: Reading Translations; LITE1F03 Reading Texts), and modules on literary style (LITE2X19: The Language of Literature; LITE3X36: Mind, Body and Literature). She is Convenor of the MA in Literary Translation, and has supervised a large number of PhD students on topics in translation and literature.
Article
Boase-Beier, Jean (2011) Translating Celan's Poetics of Silence. Target, 23 (2). pp. 165-177.
Boase-Beier, Jean (2009) Translation and Timelessness. Journal of Literary Semantics, 38(2). pp. 101-14.
Boase-Beier, Jean (2009) Translating the Eye of the Poem. Przekladaniec/CTIS Occasional Papers, 4.
Boase-Beier, Jean (2005) Bringing Together Science and Poetry: Translating the Bystander in German Poetry After the Holocaust. Comparative Critical Studies, 2 (1). pp. 93-105.
Boase-Beier, Jean and Robin Mackenzie, (2005) Translation, Transformation and Reception. Comparative Critical Studies (Special Issue), 2 (1). pp. 1-142.
Boase-Beier, Jean (2004) Saying what Someone Else Meant: Style, Relevance and Translation. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 14 (2). pp. 276-287.
Boase-Beier, Jean (2004) Knowing and Not Knowing: Style, Intention and the Translation of a Holocaust Poem. Language and Literature, 13 (1). pp. 25-35.
Boase-Beier, Jean (2004) Translation and style. Language and Literature (special edition), 13 (1). pp. 5-95.
Boase-Beier, Jean (2003) Mind Style Translated. Style, 37 (3). pp. 253-265.
Boase-Beier, Jean (2002) Style and Choice: Recreating Patterns in Translation. Studies in Cross-Cultural Communication, 1. pp. 1-28.
Book Section
Boase-Beier, Jean (2011) Stylistics and Translation. In: The Oxford Handbook of Translation Studies. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 71-82. ISBN 9780199239306
Boase-Beier, Jean (2011) Stylistics and Translation. In: The Handbook of Translation Studies. John Benjamins.
Boase-Beier, Jean (2010) Who Needs Theory? In: Translation: Theory and Practice in Dialogue. Continuum, pp. 25-38. ISBN 9780826444677
Boase-Beier, Jean (2006) Loosening the Grip of the Text: Theory as an Aid to Creativity. In: Translation and Creativity: Perspectives on Creative Writing and Translation Studies. Continuum, pp. 47-56. ISBN 0826487939
Boase-Beier, Jean (2002) Translating Style. In: Textual Secrets: The Message of the Medium. Eötvös Lorand University Press, pp. 317-325. ISBN 9634635997
Monograph
Boase-Beier, Jean (2003) Between Nothing and Nothing (Visible Poets). Scholarly Edition. Arc Publications.
Book
Boase-Beier, Jean (2011) A Critical Introduction to Translation Studies. Continuum. ISBN 9781441189127
Boase-Beier, Jean (2006) Stylistic Approaches to Translation. St. Jerome, p. 176. ISBN 1900650983
Boase-Beier, Jean (2004) A Fine Line: New Poetry from Eastern and Central Europe. Arc Publications, p. 270. ISBN 1900072971
Lodge, Ken and Boase-Beier, Jean (2003) The German Language. Wiley-Blackwell, p. 272. ISBN 0631231390
External Activities and Indicators of Esteem
- Organiser of many conferences on Translation and Comparative Literature
- Many invited papers, lectures and plenaries (including Warwick, Amsterdam, Prague, Krakow, Manchester, Alicante, Corfu)
- 1998 Invited participant at Nobel Symposium 'Translation of Poetry and Poetic Prose'
- 1998-2001 Member of Executive Committee of Translators Association (Society of Authors)
- 2004 Speech (eulogy) at Austrian State Prize for Translation ceremony
- Currently external examiner at Middlesex University for MA's and BA's; formerly at UCL and University of Essex, regular external examiner of PhD's.
- Member of Executive Committee, British Comparative Literature Association (BCLA); Organiser of BCLA's John Dryden Translation Competition
- Overall organiser of biennial Postgraduate Translation Symposia, held at UEA
- UEA Co-ordinator for Royal Literary Fund (RLF) Fellowships; member of Academic Panel of RLF
Professional Activities
- 1998-2007 Committee Member, East Anglian Writers
- Translator of English and German Poetry, including Ernst Meister's Between Nothing and Nothing and (with Anthony Vivis) Rose Ausländer's Mother Tongue
- Regular reader/advisor for publishers, journals and organisations (including New Books in German, St Jerome Publishing, Comparative Critical Studies, Routledge, Longman)
- Series editor of bilingual poetry books, Visible Poets, publised by Arc Publications
Key Responsibilities
Administrative Posts/Responsibilities
- 1993-2006 Member/Chair of Standing Committee of University Assembly
- 1994-2001 & 2006 Member of Panel of the British Centre for Literary Translation
- 1994-present Course Convenor, MA in Literary Translation
- 1995-2002 & 2003-2004 Chair, Teaching Committee in School of Languages, Linguistics and Translation Studies
- 1995-2009 Member of Senate
- 1999-2007 Member of University Council
- 1999-2004 Member of University Learning, Teaching and Quality Committee and Undergraduate Studies Executive
- 2000-2001 Chair, German Sector in School of Language, Linguistics and Translation Studies
- 2002-2004 Deputy Dean, School of Language, Linguistics and Translation Studies
- 2005-2008 Teaching Director, School of Literature and Creative Writing
- 2008-2009 Deputy Head of School of Literature and Creative Writing
