A Social Policy Association Study Day
Saturday January 30th 1999 London School of Economics. Vera Anstey Room
Jean-Paul Révauger (Université de Provence Aix Marseille I) and Gail Wilson
(London School of Economics)
The transferability and translation of concepts.
Transferring social policies across national borders implies more
than the export/import of good practices, however accurately they are
described. Social policy represents a society's reaction to historical,
social and economic evolutions. It is therefore embodied in a number of
fundamental values and concepts, rooted in the local subsoils. Simple
anthropological/cultural analyses may miss the dynamic dimension, and
underestimate the importance of change, and in some cases of convergence. A
range of parameters must be taken into account whenever one purports to
analyse developments outside one's country of origin, embarks on
comparative analyses, or tries to make domestic evolutions intelligible to
outsiders.
The implicit dimension of words makes translation an exercise
fraught with danger. The purpose of this Study Day is to bring together the
experiences of researchers faced with the challenge of concept transfer and
translation. Both practical and theoretical points will be raised.
Should terms be translated at all or let in their original language? what do
they mean in this case?
Are we witnessing an approximation of cultures, experiences and
zeitgeist across the EU, which allows the use of a basic scientific
vernacular?
How far are the EU's pluralistic linguistic policies , which encourage the
use of several languages, compatible with the rise of an epistemic
community in Social Policy?
What types of concepts have we found most problematic and
misleading when attempts at translation have been made?
For our purpose, American English will be considered as a separate
language, raising serious problems in terms of concept transfer.
Programme - Vera Anstey Room, London School of Economics
10: Opening of the study day.
Introductory remarks :Jean-Paul Révauger (Université de Provence, Aix
Marseille 1)
10. 15: Corinne Eyraud (Université de Provence, Aix Marseille 1) Using
European Social Policy Concepts in a Chinese context.
11.15: Coffee
11.30: Kieron Hatton (University of Plymouth): Making values explicit: the
challenge for crossnational research in social work
12.30: Lunch
13.30: Anne Corden (University of York): What works well? Trying to compare
child maintenance regimes in ten European countries
14.30: Jean Yves Tizot, (Université Charles De Gaulle Lille III): French and
British Urban Social Policy: Finding Common Ground for Analysis?
15.30: Discussing further research
16: Tea
Cost £15. Please pay on attendance, preferably in cash. Receipts will be
issued.
revauger
universite de provence
ufr lag lea
aix marseille 1
29 avenue robert schuman
13621 aix en provence cedex
france
tel from outside france 33 442 95 32 00
from france 04 42 95 32 00
fax from outside france 33 442 64 19 08
from france 04 42 64 19 08
[log in to unmask]
Tel 0171 955 7347
Fax 0171 955 7415
Dept of Social Policy
London School of Economics
Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
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