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N°4

Border Writers

THE AULE MAGAZINEFOR STUDENTS OF MODERN LANGUAGES

La Plata year 3

Number four

VI ENELLNational Meeting of Students of Languages and Literature

Erasmus Mundus life – Part 1Welcome to Padova!

EditorialWe are a group of students of Modern Licenciate, Teaching and Translating Courses of Languages that, as a result of the initiative and both English and French. This space is open for motivation of the student organization aule, all students to publish so that, through this gathered within the context of the VI ENELL channel, we can enhance our experience at (National Meeting of Students of Language and u n i v e r s i t y .Literature) –held in La Plata last September We are aware of the fact that there are many 2010- to discuss and exchange views on aspects of our career that need improvement, different matters related to our career. and we firmly believe that it is the students From that moment on, we conceived the idea who, above all, should adopt an active and of re-launching a magazine that aule has critical view in order to bring about those published for the last four years, the Border c h a n g e s .Writers magazine: a magazine devised by and This medium is designed to give voice to those meant for the students of Modern Languages. concerns that are usually silenced and to So, what you now have in your hands is the symbolize the chance to meet and keep Border Writers number 4, envisaged as a way building a different education, the opportunity to give expression to our thoughts and to get to know, publish and share our own m a t e r i a l i s e o u r w o r k . e x p e r i e n c e s .We took over this extraordinary task with a Come up, bring your ideas. Let's make this clear goal on our minds: to, by means of this means of communication represent us all!tool, invite all those who would like to express We are looking forward to listening to your themselves, to debate about the different o p i n i o n s a n d t h o u g h t s ! issues that concern us students of the

A propos de nousUnder Rue: La Troupe des Langues,The Language Team, etc

NovemberWorkshop on Interpretation

short story The following short story was written by a student of Modern Languages

VI ENELLNational Meeting of Students of Languages and Literature

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The workshops: Review and Conclusions In addition, we saw that, as the subjects we take in our career focus only on the translation of legal,

One of the main goals of the ENELL is to forge scientific, technical and literary texts, we wind up

bonds of companionship and fraternity between thinking that those are the only thematic areas

students of Language and Literature from different that exist as far as the translation of texts is

faculties. The ENELL also aims at concerning concerned and do not realise that we are leaving

ourselves with the issues that we normally deal aside a wide range of different options, options

with both during our training and later on, in our that concern not only the textual nature but also

professional lives; and to analyse and explore ideas the producers of those other texts.

about those points trough discussion and debate.By way of discussion and debate, we arrived at the

During those three days, in addition to the panels conclusion that all of us to some extent, hold

that were carried out on the core topics of this those deep-rooted preconceptions as if they

year's National Meeting, we had a number of constituted the absolute truth and assimilate them

workshops where the methodology was a as though there were no place for something

participatory and collaborative one, and where all different.

the participants could take an active, critical and These debates were even more enriched by the creative part in the discussion and reflection of active contribution of all the students and by the the different issues that came up.experience of the coordinators who showed us

That is how, in an organised manner and in an that there actually are alternative paths to those

atmosphere of great joy and fellowship, in the city deep-seated myths.

of La Plata, in our Faculty, the sixth ENELL was held. We learned that we can create new working That is how, during those three days, the great methods. Methods that involve a dynamic enthusiasm and willingness of us students to interaction with our colleagues. We learned that in actively participate, discuss and share our views fact, these methods do already exist. They exist as was overtly shown. associated and collaborative forms which result in Social Translationa more independent and unconstrained practice, a (workshop conducted by the Group of richer and worthier practice.Organized Translators*)

On the other hand, regarding the types of texts and On Friday, Laura and Belén, two members of the who we would translate them for, as language Organized Translators' Group coordinated a professionals and therefore, as possessors of an workshop on social translation.essential working tool, we must be aware that

They started the debate by focusing on certain there are other social actors apart from those who

ideas that teachers usually instil on us throughout have the means to pay for a translation. These

our professional training about how the actual other actors remain silent for some audience, their

work of a translator is supposed to be. Among ideas stand in the dark: concealed, obscured. That

those myths, we came up against some assertions is why, it is crucial for our development as

such as the one that claims that a translator's job is collective subjects to help spread the ideas of

a solitary, isolated and secluded one. How many these actors, whose possibilities to make their

times have teachers told us that if we want to work voices heard are usually restricted due to their lack

with others we should do the Teaching Course? It is of economic resources to face the cost of a

around this sort of ideas that we end up creating a professional translation.

single picture of our profession.For this sake, we concluded that it is a great idea to

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devote part of our time to engage in Social www.tlaxcala.esTranslation, time which we will spend on Finally, we came to the conclusion that if we get translating ad honorem those outcast texts, together, if we unite in order to exchange texts which differ from the ones that private experiences and knowledge, to clear up doubts Agencies present to us, texts which deal with our and build ideas, we will be contributing by socio-political reality, represent other social joining our forces around a common goal to actors, open our eyes to other viewpoints, to making our work not only more enjoyable and other voices, to other lives gratifying but also more fertile.To that end, we can work together with social Translation as a Means for Survivalorganizations, groups (of students, women,

(workshop conducted by Professor and workers, etc) trying to find the ones with which

Translator Laura Spoturno**)we share goals and ideals, or simply the

On Friday, we had the opportunity to share willingness to collaborate.

with Professor Spoturno a workshop on Social translation must not be understood as a Alternative Translation.way to fulfil some kind of a “Good Samaritan”

The topic was introduced by means of precept. It must not be way of flaunting our good

questioning the students about their deeds. On no account does social translation

preconceptions on what "Translation as a means represent an act of charity. Rather, it represents

for survival" might mean and gradually, we consistency with principles based on social

started to build up the idea that we later on c o m m i t m e n t , p o l i t i c a l a c t i v i s m a n d

reinforced with images and text examples of cooperativeness.

different translations.An example of the association of translators with

That was how we were able to discuss the role of a social end is Tlaxcala (“the international

the translator when (s)he has to choose between network of translators for linguistic diversity”):

different political stances that would necessarily

Encuentro Nacional deEstudiantes De Lenguasy Letras 17, 18 y 19 de Septiembre

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lead her/him to different versions of the same mainly on the role of the Translation Agencies text, and also the difficulties that might arise which operate as intermediaries between the when trying to convey the original message professional and a particular Company and and having to choose between respecting the nowadays control the market: they are the form or the meaning of such original message ones that sell translation services to direct (whether to maintain the function of the text, clients. Of course, they do not do the job the effect expected by the author, the form, themselves, they are mere administrators who etc). intervene and split the profits in an

outrageously disproportionate way.Another interesting topic was how some

Work autonomy was also discussed, taking immigrants had to build their identities and into account the fact that nowadays, self-express their thoughts and feelings through a employment in this particular profession language that was not their own and that was seems to be a myth; and also how, as a result of imposed to them. The idea was to show that capitalism, the practice of translation has left sometimes the use of a certain language aside its essential feature of communicating instead of another, in cases such as the one of between cultures in its most intrinsic sense Chicano writer Sandra Cisneros in her novel and translators end up translating in a giddy Caramelo or Puro Cuento, has to do with the rhythm just “what the market needs”.need to express the situation of those writers

whose familiar background is completely In addition, these agencies characterize different from their friends and school mates', themselves as a means for students and young and so they choose to combine the two graduates to acquire experience and learn how languages and cultures to be able to truly to handle translation software and technology express their thoughts and feelings. so, in this way, they recruit workers and profit

out of paying them very low salaries. At the As a conclusion, we might say that the same time, a lot of public universities ally with workshop was very inspiring and left us with these private companies to offer students the lots of ideas worth working with and the entrance to the labour market of translation possibility to go on thinking through the rest of which is already marked by this precarious the year about the kind of contents that we stamp.would like our education to include.

Rethinking The Practice of Translation, its It was an intense and inspiring debate in which Uses and Agents we reflected on how the comprehensive

(workshop conducted by the Group of formation of translators is not just a mere Organized Translators) accumulation of methods and techniques, but

a professional, ethical and personal growth. This workshop took place on Saturday. The This includes not only the ability to convey idea was to expose certain topics related to the concepts from one culture to another but also practice of translators so as to be able to the capacity to think critically, to do our jobs as discuss them with the objective of proving ethical subjects and to commit to the society of some preconceived ideas about their which we are part.formation and professional exercise false.

We also established that the Public University One of the debates that arose from this should be a means to liberation and not a discussion was related to other factors vehicle which offers students the option to involved in the practice of translators, focusing

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work in agencies that will take advantage of Summing-up, review and projection of the them. 6th ENELL

Given the adverse circumstances which we face at university, it is crucial for us students to free On Sunday, the last day of the Meeting, we from the oppression of the market assuming, in gathered together along with students from all the first place, the situation of exploitation to over the country, to discuss and contrast the which we are subject so that we can then status and Career Curricula of each faculty and associate with our own fellow students and/or shared the impact that the ENELL made on each colleagues, and to support other workers' fight of us. for their rights so we can jointly plan a different One topic that seemed to be absent from all the place for all of us, a place with no oppression. syllabuses was that of gender. In this regard, we

Last day of the Meeting agreed that it would be necessary for every

faculty to take measures to promote research Group Gathering & Debate among student groups that may bring

¿What kind of Language and Literature awareness towards this subject.Professionals do we want? We also agreed on the need to generate pre-

Comparison between the different Curricula. professional training for the students of the The profile of the Language and Literature Translating Course; and one significant motion graduate. Reflections on our educational is the “Traducciones Inter-Cátedra” (a

training and our role as social agents.

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programme that consists in making entire community in search of new debates, translations for careers such as Sociology, new bonds and new relationships.Philosophy, History which usually deal with * Organized Translators are a group of texts in their original languages and need to be translators and students from Córdoba, turned into Spanish to be accessible to all the Argentina, who have gathered together to students). Our University does not provide this analyse and change the form that the current type of resource –at least not for free- leaving practice of translation has taken over the past the students in a powerless position: on the decades.one hand, the students that cannot access the They pursue a deep search and construction of texts because they are in English or French, alternative spaces of cooperative work where and on the other, the students of the each translator can take an active part by Translation Course who do not have the contributing with their experience and chance to put their theoretical knowledge to personal viewpoints to the professional, practice unless they submit themselves to supportive and autonomous nature of the being exploited by one of the many private group.Translation Agencies. They aim at building a different professional

training, self-managed, collaborative, Lastly, we stressed the importance that these creatively useful and projected to the whole types of enterprise have for us students since community of translators.they give us the chance to get actively involved One of their main goals is to eliminate the in our own education and allow us to have notion that translators should remain hidden access to different forms of teaching and and unnoticeable and to project their work learning, as we were able to see through the beyond the needs of the market. experience of the internships.

In conclusion, the ENELL was for all of us a ** María Laura Spoturno. PhD. in Literature great satisfaction. It reaffirmed and renewed and Ms. in Linguistics, is a Public Translator the challenge of working in pursuit of bringing and Professor in English Language and our ideas into action so we can keep on moving Literature. She currently teaches Literary

thforward and next year, the 7 ENELL finds us Translation and North American Literature at once again opening up our university to the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP).

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Erasmus Mundus life – Part 1Welcome to Padova!

In this new section of Border Writers, I Even though we do not need a visa to visit would like to express and share some Italy, as I was going to stay for 6 months, I feelings and experiences I am having as did need to get it; so the odyssey begun at an Erasmus Mundus student in Europe. the consulate: too much paperwork, too But let us start from the very beginning. much bureaucracy, too much time spent, What is Erasmus Mundus? It is a but in the end I got it and I was ready to programme held by the European take the plane to Italy. Community that promotes international I knew that another boy from La Plata was mobility for students from Europe and traveling to Padova too, he studied other countries around the world. There Economics and came here to do a also exists an Erasmus Programme only Master's course, but I had not written to for Europeans. Last year, our University him before so we finally met at the Paris-has been chosen from other Universities Charles De Gaulle airport when we were in Argentina, Bolivia and Peru to grant the about to take the plane to Venice.scholarship to a number of students. So, But let me tell you about Padova. It is said last April I got an e-mail saying I had won a to be the oldest city in northern Italy. 6-month scholarship to study Sociology at According to Virgil's Aeneid, it was the Univertà degli Studi di Padova founded in 1183 BC by the Trojan prince (Northeast Italy). Antenor. Nowadays, it looks like a

Caffe Pedrocchi

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Palazzo del Bo

medieval city, the streets are all winding the whole country that, during World War and muddled up (I am used to the II, became the center of the resistance unswerving straight streets of La Plata movement against fascism. I know, this and this is so different!); but it is a sounds like a city tour speech, but if you beautiful city,. Getting lost here is a ever have the chance to visit the town, pleasure. There are lots of famous places you will understand why I'm so interested here but one of the most important is the in its history. Caffè Pedrocchi, one of the biggest coffee Let us make a pause here so you do not fall houses in the world and also the place asleep, in the next BW edition I will tell where, during the Risorgimento period, you more about student's life at Padova. the progressive circles got together to From 200 thousand inhabitants, 60 plan how to reunify Italy. The University thousand are students so at any time, any was founded in 1222 and some of the day you will find ragazzi drinking spritz famous professors who taught here were (the traditional drink of the Veneto Copernicus and Galileo Galilei. Also, it was region) in some of the several piazza that the first University in the world to award a Padova has. degree to a woman and the only one in Arrivederci e buonagiornata a tutti!

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What does a student of Languages think of when someone mentions

a….

Tree…..?

1

Oh, no, no, no…..

Now we’ve learned that this is a tree:

2

Aghhhhhh!

3

Thank you Chomsky! We love you!!

4

Humor

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The Language Team

Under-Rue: La Troupe des Langues Nous sommes une troupe de filles et de garçons étudiant la traduction en anglais et en français qui, avec Aule, cherchons à intervenir dans ces filières. Nous organisons des discussions sur différents points de nos programmes d'étude, cherchant à y inclure des axes tels que le genre, les politiques linguistiques, la traduction alternative, etc. Cette année, nous avons contribué en tant que groupe avec le VIe ENELL (Encuentro Nacional de Estudiantes de Lenguas y Letras - Rencontre Nationale d'Étudiants de Langues et de Lettres) à La Plata, où nous avons pu partager des réflexions, des critiques et des interventions très intéressantes qui nous ont bien permis de connaître les compétences concernant les programmes de différentes universités. Nous vous invitons à y participer avec nous, par le biais de vos suggestions et vos idées tous les mardis à 18 h. à la fac. On vous attend!

A propos de nous

Under Rue: La Troupe des Langues

Under-Rue: The Language Team! We are a group of students of Modern Languages (English and French) which, along with aule (the student organization), aim at taking an active part in those careers.We devise and carry out debates on different aspects of our syllabuses, seeking to incorporate and cover key topics such as gender, linguistic policies, different translating practices, and so on.This year, the Team was part of the 6th ENELL (National Meeting of Students of Languages and Literature) in La Plata. There, together with students of several universities of Argentina, we had the chance to share various and varying interesting opinions, thoughts, points of view and ideas about different matters related to our courses of study which allowed us to make a more critical and broader analysis. We encourage you to join us, to be part of the Team, to get in touch with us, to come and bring us your ideas and suggestions. We meet every Thursday at 6 pm in the Faculty (Facultad de Humanidades). We're looking forward to meeting you!

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NovemberWorkshop on Interpretation

Useful Links

The 18th of November, we will be holding this workshop which will be conducted by Translator Laura Marifil who has graduated from UNLP and who is currently in her last year at the McDonough Interpretation School.With this meeting, we aim to provide new skills to develop this fascinating area of expertise. By means of our Participative Platforms, we could see that the students of Modern Languages were in need of a space like this one, a space that deals with areas of study such as interpreting, and that is why we got down to work and devised this opportunity that is open for all students of Modern Languages that wish to attend!

[Time and Room will be confirmed in due course: All information (including workshop programme) will be available at aule's table on the ground floor]

CTPCBA (Colegio de Traductores Públicos de la Ciudad de Bs. As.) www.traductores.org.ar

AATI (Asociación Argentina de Traductores e Interpretes) www.aati.org.ar

Fundación Litterae. http://www.fundlitterae.org.ar/

Modern Languages Department (UNLP) http://www.fahce.unlp.edu.ar/

academica/Areas/lenguasmodernas

Quelle différence y a-t'il entre un œuf et le temps? Le temps passe et l'œuf dur!

Pourquoi est-ce que les poules pondent des oeufs et que les coqs ont des ailes? Parce que les poules ont besoin d'eux et les coqs ont besoin d'elles.

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Bla

gues

A quel temps sont lesverbes suivants :Ils ne voulurent pas d'enfants, maisen eurent deux.Au préservatifimparfait.

Phonemetry - The Schwa

Phoneme + Poetry =

poetry about phonemes

A curvaceous young phoneme called schwa

Said "I never feel strong. It's bizarre!

I'm retiring and meekAnd I always sound weak

But in frequency counts - I'm the star!"

BlaguesBorder

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Blagues

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short story

The following short story was written by a student of Modern Languages who kindly offered it to us so we could include it in this publication. The author prefers to remain anonymous, so we will respect his/her wish. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

It was a cold Saturday evening and the sky was strongly and from some close hidden place, he absolutely clear. Joe was sitting on the grass could not see. Little did he know, the boy was admiring through his blue eyes the only hidden to his accustomed eyes, for if he astonishing contrast between the blue sky and had looked and actually seen, he would have the gray smooth sea. There was such peace in noticed how the little boy stood out from the

the salty air that he felt he could lay like that rest of the scenery. Yet fortunately, as he forever. “Certainly, this is something I could buried his feet in the warm sand, he felt like do for the rest of my life” he thought to himself looking back; it was only then that he truly as he gazed at a white seagull that kept diving saw. Their eyes remained fixed for 4 eternal to try and catch some kind of lunch. Suddenly, seconds but the minute he looked back at his he remembered that his father was about to father, the boy was gone, leaving only a blank arrive any minute now and would still be upset spot where he had been standing seconds about him missing school today. With the ago. “I could swear I know him from laziness of he who knows he is about to come somewhere” he thought as he looked away across something he doesn't want to deal from the weird tree that now stood alone in with, he rose up from the wet green grass and the middle of an empty circle of light, and walked down to the beach. He had known the turned around to let the wet salty air of the sea cliffs that guarded the beach since he was a fill his lungs with as much oxygen as he was little boy so he was confident with both the capable of. Had he know that moment would path and the scenery. Therefore, when the make his life turn around wildly, he probably eyes of a little blond boy found him coming would not have turned around. But as we all down the hillside towards the dessert beach, know life has a funny way of turning out. And he did not see the odd glow in them nor the ten years would go by before Joe came back to warmth familiarity of his looks. The only thing that dreamlike beach.he noticed was that he was being stared at, He was a twenty-eight year old geography

teacher the moment he found himself again beloved peace of his, (he was a married man gazing at the very same sea, with his feet by then) he had searched the hillside for the buried in the very same warm sand. Memories tree --- the one whose roots grew backwards from that odd afternoon rushed back to his (or at least that was what he thought), head as if he had only been away for a week or knowing that only there would he found her.two. Eventually, the little boy showed up, It was a cold Saturday evening and the sky was staring back from his memories as intently as absolutely clear. ever. With a rush of adrenaline, he looked for He dragged his feet the way he would have the tree. It was then that his heart bumped: done about 40 years ago, enjoying the flow of the little boy, not so little any more, was hot sand caressing his skin and tickling under waving at him, a smile upon his face and the soles of his feet. Slowly he reached the something brown and square on her right weird tree, and rest his back against it. Out of hand. As quickly as he could, he climbed the the blue, an old seagull landed on his hillside and got to the side of the tree. All he stretched legs and looked straight at him. found, when he got there was a white seagull Moving as an old lady would, she went behind with a book In its beak, but as he tried to reach the tree and brought back and old leather-it, it open its wings and flew away mockingly. covered brown notebook, which she left next Exhausted because of the effort he sat by the to Joe's leg. As he opened the book and tree and gazed at the sea once more. The started reading, he found his life written into peace he had not felt in a long time, came back somebody else's handwriting. Every little to his heart, along with the joy that long thing he had done, was registered there. Even forgotten things bring to our lives whenever that very same moment, and as he turned we find them out of serendipity. A familiar around the page and saw the blank space warmth bathed him as he laid his head back staring back at him, his old heart started and gave in to sleep. He woke up shivering beating faster and faster until he could not several hours later and realized he would be stand it anymore.late for dinner (as for life and reality), and After a few moments had gone by, he found made his way back as fast as he could, not himself waking up to a new life from where he once looking back but knowing he would be could cross the sky and dive into the sea trying back soon, to look for the unbelievable peace to catch some kind of lunch. A little blond boy that place gave him. Maybe even the little gazed at him in wonder and thought boy, if he happened to be still around “Certainly, this is something I could do for the somewhere other than in his mind. rest of my life”.'The third time Joe had tried to find her, that

FIN