Understanding Otherwise:
Translation, Ethics and Incomplete Knowledge
讲座信息
讲座时间：2026年10月10日（周六）13:30-15:30
讲座地点：海角网 闵行校区杨咏曼楼225室
主讲人：Seán Hand
讲座摘要
Contrary to common-sense views of translation as a secondary act of transferring static meaning, this paper argues that translation is a primary practice through which understanding emerges. Examining translation at the intersection of interpretation, ethics, and incomplete knowledge, the author reflects on his own experience of translating French philosophers Gilles Deleuze, Eric Blondel, and Emmanuel Levinas. The paper demonstrates how translation generates affirmative difference rather than exact replicas, grapples with inherently unstable or palimpsestic source texts, and functions as an ethical act of responsible dialogue. By then evaluating three influential English translations of Homer’s Odyssey—and commenting on a subsequent cinematic adaptation—the study reflects on the fact that while exhaustive knowledge is impossible, translation provides a vital framework for continuing cross-cultural understanding and communication.
主讲人介绍
Professor Seán Hand is Emeritus Professor at the University of Warwick. He holds degrees from the universities of Oxford (M.A. Oxon, D. Phil.) and Warwick (MBA, D.Litt.), and an executive qualification from INSEAD. He is a Chevalier des Palmes Académiques and a member of the Academia Europæa. He is a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He has written, edited or translated 13 books and special issues; published 62 articles, chapters and reports; and delivered over 100 papers and lectures.