The Borrowers: Researching the cognitive aspects of translation

The paper considers the interdisciplinary interaction of research on the cognitive aspects of translation. Examples of influence from linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, reading and writing research and language technology are given, with examples from specific sub-disciplines within each one. The breadth of borrowing by researchers in cognitive translatology is made apparent, but the minimal influence of cognitive translatology on the respective disciplines themselves is also highlighted. Suggestions for future developments are made, including ways in which the domain of cognitive translatology might exert greater influence on other disciplines

Selling soccer

In July 2002, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced that it had sold the live television rights to all of the Republic of Ireland’s home international fixtures during the period 2002 to 2006 to British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) for €7.5 million. In addition, the rights to delayed coverage of the internationals and coverage of the association’s domestic league were sold to the independent commercial station TV3. The state’s public service broadcaster, RTÉ, was left out in the cold thereby ending a forty-year relationship. Only one fifth of Irish homes had access to Sky Sports and although the announcement was greeted with dismay in almost every quarter the FAI described the deal as ‘too good to turn down’. If the deal had gone ahead fans would have had to subscribe to Sky Sports to watch live coverage of their national team playing in the qualifiers for the 2004 European Championship and the 2006 World Cup

UK emergency preparedness - prepared for what?

We live in a world of increasing risk. Social and global processes continually construct new kinds of risk. Managing risk is an increasingly important function of government and in the UK has risen up the political agenda in recent years. There is evidence that the recent reform of the UK system of civil protection has been strongly influenced by the terrorist threat. Similar patterns can be seen in Europe and North America. The broader agenda of societal resilience and preparedness has been overshadowed by a security agenda. There is a danger that too great a focus on one form of threat can divert attention from the broader range of threats that we face in the future. This paper posits that preparedness should not be confined to institutional capacity but should include the wider public. There is a danger that neglecting the public will only serve to widen the gulf between state and citizen and weaken resilience

Connectionism, Analogicity and Mental Content

In Connectionism and the Philosophy of Psychology, Horgan and Tienson (1996) argue that cognitive processes, pace classicism, are not governed by exceptionless, “representation-level” rules; they are instead the work of defeasible cognitive tendencies subserved by the non-linear dynamics of the brain’s neural networks. Many theorists are sympathetic with the dynamical characterisation of connectionism and the general (re)conception of cognition that it affords. But in all the excitement surrounding the connectionist revolution in cognitive science, it has largely gone unnoticed that connectionism adds to the traditional focus on computational processes, a new focus – one on the vehicles of mental representation, on the entities that carry content through the mind. Indeed, if Horgan and Tienson’s dynamical characterisation of connectionism is on the right track, then so intimate is the relationship between computational processes and representational vehicles, that connectionist cognitive science is committed to a resemblance theory of mental content

Book review: working for policy

Dave O’Brien opens up the black box of policy making in this diverse collection of essays for the academic eye. The essays paint a picture of policy emerging from politicians, bureaucrats, professional experts, advocacy and interest groups, as well as academics, media and citizens, in situations where policy is never a linear process with clear beginnings, middles and ends

Tree-Maiming to Crop Destruction: Considering a Re-Emerging Repertoire

Property destruction has been a key part of the protest repertoire in Western Europe (and further afield) throughout history. Such acts have represented the physical manifestation of opposition to perceived inequalities in society, ranging from actions of groups such as the Luddites through to spontaneous food riots. Although these actions can be portrayed as unthinking and solely focused on destruction, it is important to consider underlying claim being made through the action. This paper draws on a catalogue of protest events to consider the wave of crop trashing that took place in the UK in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The aim is to locate these actions in the broader tradition of destruction targeting flora to determine the extent to which these actions can be seen as representing a traditional form of action and consider the degree of continuity in the underlying motives

A Comparison of Leadership in Controlled Military Democratisation

Military coup d’état displace civilian regimes in the name of cleaning up, but such actions can also challenge the coherence of the military by undermining the recognition of governing institutions. The decision of military regimes to relinquish power from a position of strength and move towards democracy is conditioned by a number of factors, requiring the leader to navigate between the perceived need to maintain political order and military professionalism. This paper considers regime change in Ecuador and Niger as cases of conversion, where elites were able to maintain control in the face of relatively weak organised opposition. The aims of the paper are to (1) determine the factors that can initiate democratisation of military regimes and (2) identify the role of leaders in shaping the process. It is argued that the relative durability of the subsequent regime is determined by the ability of the outgoing military regime to find suitable opposition to maintain order and resist the temptation to return to politics

Book review: parliamentary socialisation: learning the ropes or determining behaviour? by Michael Rush and Philip Giddings

How and from whom do MPs learn about their role in the Commons? In Parliamentary Socialisation, Michael Rush and Philip Giddings consider the range of sources that provide socialisation for MPs as they enter the House of Commons. Dave O’Brien finds limitations in the book’s theoretical analysis, but gives much credit to the authors for providing a readable and engaging account of how the House shapes its members.