Acknowledgments

The Oxford Handbook of Translation and Social Practices represents a collective effort of scholars from translation and interpreting studies, linguistics, education, cultural studies, public health, comparative area studies, international relations, law, environmental studies, psychology, and computer science. The dialogues among scholars from diverse academic fields reflect the interdisciplinary nature of translation studies as a young and highly dynamic field of research. The handbook is divided into seven sections. Part I summarizes the key social and research topics covered by the handbook; then, translation and interpreting as an important, strategic mediation tool for reducing and avoiding conflicts due to historical and contemporary social issues (Part II); the role of translation in the interpretation, adaptation, and implementation of environmental, energy, and sustainable development policies and guidelines (Part III); the role of inclusive, accessible translation in school education, curriculum design, and media production, which illustrates the importance of translation in developing more inclusive and accessible social services (Part IV). The last three parts of the handbook provide in-depth discussions of specialized translations which are instrumental for promoting public health and well-being (Part V), social justice and legislation (Part VI), and the interaction and dynamics between specialized translation and scientific and technological advances (Part VII).

Readers from diverse language, cultural, and disciplinary backgrounds will benefit from the broad coverage and in-depth discussions of the handbook. Our handbook provides a timely and needed contribution to the public and scholarly debates around social fundamental issues faced by our contemporary societies such as social justice, aboriginal rights, gender equality, environmental protection, climate change, sustainable development, racial integration, equitable and accessible health and medical services, inclusive school education, and disability-friendly media production. Chapters in the handbook illustrate the significance of social translation research to help address these social issues and build more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable societies around the world. The handbook benefits from the strong support from our contributing authors and the constructive feedback from two anonymous reviewers whose detailed, informative suggestions and advice have helped us to broaden the scope and engage with a wider audience within and beyond the field of linguistic translation studies. As the editors of the handbook, we owe our deep gratitude to Dr. Elda Granata, the editor of the Oxford Handbook series, and Cecily Berberat. We express our most sincere thanks for their warm interest in and encouragement of our project proposal, unfailing support, trust, and patience, as well as the very detailed, prompt, and helpful feedback and advice given to the contributing authors throughout the project over the last two years.

We extend our thanks to all our contributing colleagues who have been deeply engaged in the handbook development since the early days of the project: Sandra Acosta, Kathleen Ahrens, Wolfgang Alschner, Luis Andrade Ciudad, Xuemei Bai, Łucja Biel, Charlotte Bosseaux, Pierrette Bouillon, Xuewei Chen, Elizabeth A. Cutrer-Párraga, Jørgen Delman, Raquel De Pedro Ricoy, Sabina Di Franco, Nicole Doerr, Pamela Faber, Georgios Floros, Chantal Gagnon, Maria González Davies, Melissa Allen Heath, Mira Kadrić, John Mark Keyes, Sara Laviosa, Etienne Lehoux-Jobin, Pilar León Araúz, Tim Lomas, Sofia Malamatidou, Flávia Affonso Mayer, Michael Oakes, Adriana Silvina Pagano, Susan Petrilli, Paolo Plini, Chris G. Pope, Fernando Prieto Ramos, Elena Rapisardi, Simon Richter, Pablo Romero-Fresco, Lucía Ruiz Rosendo, Mark Seligman, Kristine Sørensen, Indira Sultanić, André Luiz Rosa Teixeira, and Marija Todorova. Last but not least, the completion of the handbook is owing to the support, patience, and encouragement from our families in Bari, Italy, and Sydney, Australia.

Meng Ji, Sydney, Australia

Sara Laviosa, Bari, Italy

February 2020