Job Offer: Researcher – Translation and Language Contact in Literature Project

Join an exciting 5-year IMPULZ research project entitled Translation and Cross-Lingual Stylistic Transfer: Towards a Theory of Language Contact in Literature (PI Eugenia Kelbert). This transdisciplinary project explores the dynamics of fields such as multilingualism, postcolonial literature, translation, influence, and international literary movements to analyse the stylistic and cognitive mechanisms of languages coming into contact in various literary contexts. It then builds on this research to consider ways in which it can help vulnerable groups and feed back into the literary process, including through the development of innovative digital humanities tools.

Location: Institute of World Literature, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
The successful candidates will be required to either relocate to Bratislava or commute on a regular basis.

How to Apply:
Submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a sample of relevant academic work to eugenia.kelbert@savba.sk. The cover letter should include a short statement on a potential case study (or case studies) you propose to pursue within the project. Please indicate whether you are applying for the full-time or part-time position, and whether you would be interested in being considered for both.

Deadline for Applications: 7th of January 2024.

Shortlisted candidates who submit their applications by the deadline will be invited to an interview (in person or online) in the following week. Late applications may continue to be accepted until the positions are filled.

Positions Available:
1 Full-Time Researcher
• 1 Part-Time Researcher (exact fraction subject to negotiation)
To enquire about these positions, please contact Eugenia Kelbert at eugenia.kelbert@savba.sk.

Anticipated Start Date: 1st February 2024.

Duration: 1 year, with the expectation to extend up to 5 years

Key Responsibilities: 
1. Conduct in-depth research on language contact phenomena in literature, with a focus on case studies in multilingualism, translation, postcolonial literature, international literary movements or similar areas of study.
2. Explore and analyse mechanisms of languages coming into contact in various literary contexts and their linguistic underpinnings.
3. Collaborate with a team of experts to contribute insights into the influence of language contact on literary expression and style across languages.
4. Share findings through high quality academic publications, conferences, and other academic platforms.
5. Assist with the project administration, organising events and liaising with non-academic partners (Slovakian NGOs working with refugees and migrants).

Essential Qualifications:
1. Ph.D. in comparative literature, translation studies or a related field (defended or soon to be defended).
2. Strong academic background in at least some of the project’s focus areas.
4. Excellent research and analytical skills.
5. Strong communication and collaboration abilities.
6. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
7. Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

Desirable Qualifications:
1. Background in cognitive or contact linguistics and/or stylistics.
2. Proficiency in languages and/or research areas that complement the existing expertise in the project.
3. Experience in digital humanities (especially stylometry).

All language combinations are welcome.
Working knowledge of Slovak (or Czech) is highly desirable.

We Offer:
– flexible working arrangement and the opportunity to work mostly from home
– variable duties and hours
– opportunity to focus on your own research project within a larger theoretical context, take initiative and develop your career
– work in a prestigious academic institution (the Slovak Academy of Sciences)
– employee benefits – nine weeks of annual leave, pension scheme contributions, health insurance
– grant funding for a laptop and conference travel
– opportunities for further learning and development in your field
– multilingual working environment
– team of friendly colleagues

Remuneration:
Salary range 1300-1500 EUR (full-time; possibility of a bonus).

About the Institute of World Literature:
The Institute of World Literature of the Slovak Academy of Sciences was established in 1991. It focuses on research in general and comparative literary studies and translation studies; the faculty work on nationally and EU-funded projects dedicated to the research of the world’s literary movements, genres and cultures, as well as translation, literary theory and the reception of foreign literatures in Slovakia. The Institute publishes the international academic journal World Literature Studies.

Project Description:
Language boundaries are not transparent; recent advances from translation to psycholinguistics make it clear that they cannot be crossed without sacrifice and a complex negotiation of gains. A growing body of research on literary multilingualism shows that moving a text, or indeed an author, into a different language leads to shifts in semantic, emotional and stylistic emphases. However, unlike the transfer of meaning (the initial impetus for the hugely successful discipline of translation studies), the transfer of style in language contact settings has received little critical attention. Rather as translation was ‘noticed’ in the 1960s, it is time to notice the patterns, losses and gains whereby stylistic features are re-created between languages as a decisive step towards a comprehensive theory of language contact in literature.
This project tackles cross-lingual stylistic transfer as a methodological challenge shared by several fields but largely unacknowledged outside translation studies. It reframes literary translation as the best understood among several distinct kinds of language contact reliant on cross-lingual stylistics. Hence this project’s twofold structure: from exploring the relationship between the translated text and the original text to an alternative paradigm for the study of literary language contact explored through case studies in areas such as translation, self-translation, influence, multilingualism and international literary movements.