Search Results (6)

This article discusses the rise of archaeology in Asia Minor and the related development of heritage tourism in Turkey. It focuses particularly on the branch termed archaeobiblical tourism. It first discusses the demographics of its clientele and then looks at publications related to biblical archaeology that have created interest in these sites. The article next discusses five areas of interest to archaeobiblical tourists: two are related to the Old Testament and three to the New Testament. Since sites related to Paul number the most in Asia Minor, special attention is given to visiting them by land and sea. A list of archaeological realia that archaeobiblical tourists encounter at various sites is presented. The article closes with an extended discussion of how archaeobiblical tourism developed and how it is currently marketed globally. It concludes that Christian visitors are motivated primarily to see the cities where biblical events took place and where the apostles ministered. Along the way they learn about archaeology and Greco-Roman history and culture, and therefore begin to integrate this new knowledge with the biblical texts they are reading. Full article

This paper offers a series of reflections and observations derived from my experience as a (semi-) professional literary translator and as a teacher of translation studies. I openly recognise the subjective nature of any meta-reflection on the ethical challenges faced by the translator as an intercultural mediator. After briefly examining several central theses that have been defended, illustrated, and adopted to produce a translation that is politically correct from both a professional and deontological standpoint, I then list and analyse the major obstacles to the reception of a novel featuring “Romanian subject matter” written by a French author: cultural, historical, and political allusions as well as culinary and civilizational culture-specific elements. The examples come from Lionel Duroy’s novels Eugenia (2018) and Mes pas dans leurs ombres (2023), which revisit the pogroms of Iași, Bucharest, Bessarabia, and Ukraine, leading to the extermination of the Jewish population (1940–1941)—a significant and painful chapter of Romanian history, often overlooked or silenced. These cases enable us to argue more convincingly for the strategies, techniques, and procedures that can be considered when translating a text laden with profound cultural and ideological significance, aiming to help the Romanian/French and Francophone reader to understand sensitive realia and listen to History. Full article

(1) Background: The article addresses the issue of geospatial dynamics of Lithuanian–Slavic ethnolinguistic boundaries in Southeastern Lithuania (SEL) that were influenced by long-term Lithuanian–Slavic linguistic competition. The aim of the study was to reconstruct the Lithuanian–Slavic ethnolinguistic boundaries and reveal the intensive contact zones in the late 19th century based on published data. Additionally, the study aimed to assess the geospatial changes in the ethnolinguistic situation in the research area during the period 1890–2021. (2) Methods: The ESRI ArcGIS technology geoprocessing tools were applied for boundary reconstruction and geospatial change detection. Cartographic materials, statistical data, and national census information were utilized in the process. (3) Results: The gained results provided a better understanding of Lithuanian–Slavic ethnolinguistic dynamics over space and time in the research area. The study reveals that the ethnolinguistic boundary in the Vilnius–Trakai urbanized area shifted in favor of the Lithuanian language, suggesting its potential influence on the metropolitan suburbs in the future. However, insufficient social infrastructure and weak economic development in rural settlements have led to a negative migration balance, a low birth rate, and rapid population aging. These challenges might have a negative effect on the future survival of the Lithuanian language in the multilingual rural area of SEL, especially considering the recent geopolitical realia in the region. (4) Conclusions: The study anticipates an increase in the influence of the Lithuanian language in the Vilnius–Trakai metropolitan area at the expense of further decline in the rural Lithuanian-speaking population in the next decade. Full article

Recent inconsistent empirical findings on the impact of context on foreign language development (FLD) are related to some conflicting context views, which hinders healthy FLD. Given this, an ecocontextualized approach/perspective is presented as a ”recipe”, holding that inter-intrastratally interactive context-oriented learning starts with the alignment of implicit sound-meaning mapping (phonic listening and speaking only) with the low cognitive levels of early starters and physical objects/visual realia in the proximate context, and only when the learners’ cognitive levels develop several years later can it turn to explicit formal learning through abstract written language and contents. Based on this view, a sound-meaning mapping prioritizing (SMMP) route to healthy/sustainable FLD is proposed and testified via questionnaires and an interview/oral test. Results showed: (1) SMMP early starters surpassed the non-SMMP (NSMMP) early starters (learning reading, listening, speaking, and writing simultaneously) in oral proficiency at the late stage despite their homogeneity at the early stage; (2) oral, especially listening abilities, could not be well developed at the late stage by NSMMP learners; (3) written proficiency could be developed later by both types. These findings reveal the SMMP route to healthy/sustainable FLD in the Chinese context. Full article

The article considers the social perception of artificial intelligence (AI) as an essential factor having an impact on the digitization, transfer, and popularization of cultural heritage. The article aims at the theoretical comprehension of the digital ontology and implementation of AI in the context of Russian realia. The research relies on comprehensive analysis based on statistical data, using descriptive and comparative methods. The interdisciplinary approach adopted includes reflexive analysis of both positive and negative consequences of the digitalization process. The article examines the peculiarities of the “digital ontology”, deterritorization effect, new actors in the digital process, the effect of digital trust, and opposite views of AI-enthusiasts and AI-alarmists. The article describes objective and subjective reasons for the negative perception of digital artifacts, and states the need to consider the influence of key figures in digital ontology: influencers, stakeholders, and data scientists. The ambivalence of public perception of both artificial intelligence and digital cultural heritage is stated. The research reveals digitization frontiers, which involve three factors: the axiological factor, indicating the need for consistency between a human values system and AI development programs; the subject vector, emphasizing the role of a new type of digital heritage bearers and digital influence actors; ethical factor associated with the need to transform relations with information technologies in order to subordinate them to human reflection and comprehension. The authors conclude that cultural heritage digitization should be aimed at generating a human-centered future. Full article

In this work, we discuss how Araujo & Hagemeijer’s Santome/Portuguese bilingual dictionary defines and describes ideophones and realia lemmata. We show that ideophones were listed individually along with their expression counterparts. Realia lemmata (words and expressions for culture-specific items) or specialized lexical units were presented in their Santomean forms, followed by a description of their endemic specificities. Many realia items from Santome can also be found in Portuguese. We conclude that the authors contribute to the lexicographic record of ideophones, lexical items that did not exist in Portuguese, but relevant to the language and culture of Santome. On the other hand, with the documentation of realia entries, they collaborate for the validation of lexical units (originating in Santome) in the local vernacular variety of São Tomé and Príncipe’s Portuguese, a common historical practice in Portuguese lexicography. Full article