Academics as mediators between languages and cultures in higher-education settings

Abstract

Intercultural and multilingual communication has become a necessity for all institutions in the age of globalization and transculturation. Higher-education institutions are no exceptions to this, mainly due to increasing contact with universities and other institutions at the international level, student and teaching staff mobility, and exchange of knowledge and experience. Intercultural communication in universities includes not only national cultures of respective parties, but also educational and even legal cultures. Higher-education institutions are required to manage multilingual and intercultural communication effectively, undoubtedly with the help of translation. Today, in most higher-education institutions in Turkey, academics employed in foreign-language departments are responsible for translation work, i.e. intercultural communication. This paper mainly focuses on the role of academics as translators in the management of intercultural communication in higher-education settings. The paper first draws attention to the increasing need for intercultural and multilingual communication in higher education. It then explores the translator’s role, power, responsibility and limitations in achieving intercultural communication in higher-education institutions.