Sirkku Aaltonen@uwasa.fi | University of Vaasa (original) (raw)
Papers by Sirkku Aaltonen@uwasa.fi
A presentation in Translating Thestre Symposium London, November 2016
Uusi johdatus käännösviestintään, sen sisältöin ja osuuteen elämässämme.
An earlier and longer draft of a published version.
An early draft of a later article
An introduction as the book is still in process
Visibility, areas of business, use by different-language group
The larger the business company, the more likely it is that it has a website. Websites are also a... more The larger the business company, the more likely it is that it has a website. Websites are also an effective and low cost tool in international marketing but also suggest credibility and respectability. When companies are planning to internationalize, or when they use their website for communication with an existing foreign market, the choice of language needs careful consideration. The present study has investigated the websites of sixteen Ostrobothnian export companies for their use of English as a lingua franca for international contacts. The analysis has focused on three important question of how often, why and what English is used on the websites Since its full commercial connections became available in 1991, the Internet has opened up information superhighways for companies wanting to find new customers in the global marketplace. It has effectively reduced the competitive advantages of scale economies and made it possible, in particular, for SMEs, small and medium-sized enterprises, to compete on a worldwide basis. It has provided a wide range of tools, such as e-mail, the World Wide Web, MUDS (Multi-User Dialogue), MOOS (MUD Object Oriented), IRC (Internet Relay Chat), video conferencing and information search and retrieval software which can speed internationalization mainly in network communications, market intelligence and global sales promotion. In global sales promotion, a website is a low cost tool which can be used to serve many purposes from advertising, corporate visibility, brand name recognition, public relations, press releases, corporate sponsorship, direct sales to customer support and technical assistance. (Hamill 1997: 303-310) In the present study, I am proposing to investigate how some medium-sized and large Ostrobothnian exporting companies have met the challenge of internationalization on their websites. I am particularly interested in the use of English as a lingua franca on the websites rather than, for example, the localization of images, paratextual features of layout, font types or -sizes or colours, or adjustments resulting from location-specific
Like drama in so many minority cultures, also Finnish drama has had very little circulation and s... more Like drama in so many minority cultures, also Finnish drama has had very little circulation and success outside Finland. Gaining access abroad, in particular to the English stage, has been a challenge, which Finnish playwrights have only recently begun to have success with. My intention in this paper is to study what is required of a Finnish play for acceptance for a performance on an English-speaking stage. I will look at the play Olga by Laura Ruohonen, performed at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 2001, and particularly at its Finnishness in both linguistic (relating to the language of the original) and conceptual (relating to concepts in the world the play describes) detail.
On the stage, there are many signs that construct the play. Some are red herrings, other, such as... more On the stage, there are many signs that construct the play. Some are red herrings, other, such as the audience, grt easily forgotten.
Our common language is polyphony, claims Martha Lavey (2004: xi), although we are constantly look... more Our common language is polyphony, claims Martha Lavey (2004: xi), although we are constantly looking for the common language we lost when the tower of Babel came down. Polyphony can also be seen as richness, in that the different languages represent so many different worlds. The Utvandrarna, a contemporary Swedish play at the centre of this study, has chosen the former view. People"s lives are made very complicated when a common language is missing. The play uses heteroglossia and code-alternation to construct narratives of how languages may both bring together and divide people. In official contexts, language problems are, as a rule, a disadvantage for the less-powerful. In Utvandrarna, heteroglossia plays a prominent role in the characterization and through that in a number of narratives that the performance invites the audience to construct. When the play toured Finland, surtitling was needed even more extensively than in the original Swedish performances (to Swedishspeaking audiences) to aid discursive comprehension and through that the construction of narratives. The aim of the present study has, therefore, been to study the use and significance of heteroglossia and code-alternation both in the characterization (auditive) and in scenography (visual) to explore its role in the total experience of theatre.
Globalization and the unification of Europe, accompanied by technological advances such as email ... more Globalization and the unification of Europe, accompanied by technological advances such as email and the Internet have improved the opportunities of theatre texts to gain foothold abroad. Still, rigid cultural hierarchies constitute an obstacle to any free movement of texts in intercultural theatre. Marginal cultures do not support even each others drama. The further one moves from theatre festivals and special venues, the more emphasis is placed on a play's thematic relevance and reactualization of the play through its language. In my paper, I will study the reactualization of three contemporary Finnish plays. I will discuss the sites of indeterminacy identified in different translation processes and then move on to discuss what elements of language have been used when the plays have been reactualized for their British audiences.
I 1999 publicerade Jay Griffiths sin "sidglans" på tid, där hon kritiserade det sätt som tid domi... more I 1999 publicerade Jay Griffiths sin "sidglans" på tid, där hon kritiserade det sätt som tid dominerar allt vårt tänkande. Livet för oss är lineär och framtiden följer en rak linje från nuet framåt.
Literature, theatre, and the media are some of the mediators between us and the world we live in.... more Literature, theatre, and the media are some of the mediators between us and the world we live in. They construct and explain much of our reality. Our immediate access to other cultures is very limited, but through mediators we have acquired at least a working knowledge of a vast geographical area with a number of very different cultures and people. Moreover, this imagined community is rapidly growing. Mediation, however, is not unproblematic as it must, by its nature, be selective and confined to stereotypes. The imagined community thus created frequently echoes cultural asymmetries and power hierarchies. Through mediation the access we gain to cultures that would otherwise remain beyond our reach has its price.
Rewriting in Egyptian theatre by Sirkku Aaltonen@uwasa.fi
The book is now out thanks to our devoted colleagues. Have a look and ask for an inspection copy.... more The book is now out thanks to our devoted colleagues. Have a look and ask for an inspection copy. Thank you Marvin, Sameh, Mona, Heba, Sally, Omaya, Nehad, Prof Enani, Wessam, Dalia, Salwa, Mohamed and Muna. Thank you for believing in the project.
Books by Sirkku Aaltonen@uwasa.fi
Code-choice and Identity Construction on Stage, 2020
Book Description Code-Choice and Identity Construction on Stage challenges the general assumption... more Book Description Code-Choice and Identity Construction on Stage challenges the general assumption that language is only one of the codes employed in a theatrical performance; Sirkku Aaltonen changes the perspective to the audience, foregrounding the chosen language variety as a trigger for their reactions. Theatre is 'the most public of arts', closely interwoven with contemporary society, and language is a crucial tool for establishing order. In this book, Aaltonen explores the ways in which chosen languages on stage can lead to rejection or tolerance in diglossic situations, where one language is considered unequal to another. Through a selection of carefully chosen case studies, the socio-political rather than artistic motivation behind code-choice emerges. By identifying common features of these contexts and the implications of theatre in the wider world, this book sheds light on high versus low culture, the role of translation, and the significance of traditional and emerging theatrical conventions. This intriguing study encompassing Ireland, Scotland, Quebec, Finland and Egypt, cleverly employs the perspective of familiarising the foreign and is invaluable reading for those interested in theatre and performance, translation, and the connection between language and society.
A presentation in Translating Thestre Symposium London, November 2016
Uusi johdatus käännösviestintään, sen sisältöin ja osuuteen elämässämme.
An earlier and longer draft of a published version.
An early draft of a later article
An introduction as the book is still in process
Visibility, areas of business, use by different-language group
The larger the business company, the more likely it is that it has a website. Websites are also a... more The larger the business company, the more likely it is that it has a website. Websites are also an effective and low cost tool in international marketing but also suggest credibility and respectability. When companies are planning to internationalize, or when they use their website for communication with an existing foreign market, the choice of language needs careful consideration. The present study has investigated the websites of sixteen Ostrobothnian export companies for their use of English as a lingua franca for international contacts. The analysis has focused on three important question of how often, why and what English is used on the websites Since its full commercial connections became available in 1991, the Internet has opened up information superhighways for companies wanting to find new customers in the global marketplace. It has effectively reduced the competitive advantages of scale economies and made it possible, in particular, for SMEs, small and medium-sized enterprises, to compete on a worldwide basis. It has provided a wide range of tools, such as e-mail, the World Wide Web, MUDS (Multi-User Dialogue), MOOS (MUD Object Oriented), IRC (Internet Relay Chat), video conferencing and information search and retrieval software which can speed internationalization mainly in network communications, market intelligence and global sales promotion. In global sales promotion, a website is a low cost tool which can be used to serve many purposes from advertising, corporate visibility, brand name recognition, public relations, press releases, corporate sponsorship, direct sales to customer support and technical assistance. (Hamill 1997: 303-310) In the present study, I am proposing to investigate how some medium-sized and large Ostrobothnian exporting companies have met the challenge of internationalization on their websites. I am particularly interested in the use of English as a lingua franca on the websites rather than, for example, the localization of images, paratextual features of layout, font types or -sizes or colours, or adjustments resulting from location-specific
Like drama in so many minority cultures, also Finnish drama has had very little circulation and s... more Like drama in so many minority cultures, also Finnish drama has had very little circulation and success outside Finland. Gaining access abroad, in particular to the English stage, has been a challenge, which Finnish playwrights have only recently begun to have success with. My intention in this paper is to study what is required of a Finnish play for acceptance for a performance on an English-speaking stage. I will look at the play Olga by Laura Ruohonen, performed at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 2001, and particularly at its Finnishness in both linguistic (relating to the language of the original) and conceptual (relating to concepts in the world the play describes) detail.
On the stage, there are many signs that construct the play. Some are red herrings, other, such as... more On the stage, there are many signs that construct the play. Some are red herrings, other, such as the audience, grt easily forgotten.
Our common language is polyphony, claims Martha Lavey (2004: xi), although we are constantly look... more Our common language is polyphony, claims Martha Lavey (2004: xi), although we are constantly looking for the common language we lost when the tower of Babel came down. Polyphony can also be seen as richness, in that the different languages represent so many different worlds. The Utvandrarna, a contemporary Swedish play at the centre of this study, has chosen the former view. People"s lives are made very complicated when a common language is missing. The play uses heteroglossia and code-alternation to construct narratives of how languages may both bring together and divide people. In official contexts, language problems are, as a rule, a disadvantage for the less-powerful. In Utvandrarna, heteroglossia plays a prominent role in the characterization and through that in a number of narratives that the performance invites the audience to construct. When the play toured Finland, surtitling was needed even more extensively than in the original Swedish performances (to Swedishspeaking audiences) to aid discursive comprehension and through that the construction of narratives. The aim of the present study has, therefore, been to study the use and significance of heteroglossia and code-alternation both in the characterization (auditive) and in scenography (visual) to explore its role in the total experience of theatre.
Globalization and the unification of Europe, accompanied by technological advances such as email ... more Globalization and the unification of Europe, accompanied by technological advances such as email and the Internet have improved the opportunities of theatre texts to gain foothold abroad. Still, rigid cultural hierarchies constitute an obstacle to any free movement of texts in intercultural theatre. Marginal cultures do not support even each others drama. The further one moves from theatre festivals and special venues, the more emphasis is placed on a play's thematic relevance and reactualization of the play through its language. In my paper, I will study the reactualization of three contemporary Finnish plays. I will discuss the sites of indeterminacy identified in different translation processes and then move on to discuss what elements of language have been used when the plays have been reactualized for their British audiences.
I 1999 publicerade Jay Griffiths sin "sidglans" på tid, där hon kritiserade det sätt som tid domi... more I 1999 publicerade Jay Griffiths sin "sidglans" på tid, där hon kritiserade det sätt som tid dominerar allt vårt tänkande. Livet för oss är lineär och framtiden följer en rak linje från nuet framåt.
Literature, theatre, and the media are some of the mediators between us and the world we live in.... more Literature, theatre, and the media are some of the mediators between us and the world we live in. They construct and explain much of our reality. Our immediate access to other cultures is very limited, but through mediators we have acquired at least a working knowledge of a vast geographical area with a number of very different cultures and people. Moreover, this imagined community is rapidly growing. Mediation, however, is not unproblematic as it must, by its nature, be selective and confined to stereotypes. The imagined community thus created frequently echoes cultural asymmetries and power hierarchies. Through mediation the access we gain to cultures that would otherwise remain beyond our reach has its price.
The book is now out thanks to our devoted colleagues. Have a look and ask for an inspection copy.... more The book is now out thanks to our devoted colleagues. Have a look and ask for an inspection copy. Thank you Marvin, Sameh, Mona, Heba, Sally, Omaya, Nehad, Prof Enani, Wessam, Dalia, Salwa, Mohamed and Muna. Thank you for believing in the project.
Code-choice and Identity Construction on Stage, 2020
Book Description Code-Choice and Identity Construction on Stage challenges the general assumption... more Book Description Code-Choice and Identity Construction on Stage challenges the general assumption that language is only one of the codes employed in a theatrical performance; Sirkku Aaltonen changes the perspective to the audience, foregrounding the chosen language variety as a trigger for their reactions. Theatre is 'the most public of arts', closely interwoven with contemporary society, and language is a crucial tool for establishing order. In this book, Aaltonen explores the ways in which chosen languages on stage can lead to rejection or tolerance in diglossic situations, where one language is considered unequal to another. Through a selection of carefully chosen case studies, the socio-political rather than artistic motivation behind code-choice emerges. By identifying common features of these contexts and the implications of theatre in the wider world, this book sheds light on high versus low culture, the role of translation, and the significance of traditional and emerging theatrical conventions. This intriguing study encompassing Ireland, Scotland, Quebec, Finland and Egypt, cleverly employs the perspective of familiarising the foreign and is invaluable reading for those interested in theatre and performance, translation, and the connection between language and society.