Sari Kokkola

multimodal translation, research methods in translation studies, teaching translation, meta-analysis, philosophy of science, study of experience, phenomenology

As a researcher, I am a big picture thinker and I enjoy “thinking outside the box”. I am particularly interested in meta-level phenomena. I place great value on philosophy as foundational to any discipline, and I believe that making the philosophical underpinnings of disciplines explicit and discussable is of primary importance to genuine disciplinary development. Philosophy allows for constant re-negotiation of the foundations of disciplines and disciplinary boundaries.

In my research within Translation Studies, I am working with the concept of multimodality. I am a member of the research group MULTI (Multimodality in Translation and Interpreting) at the University of Tampere. The research group focuses on

• examining the communicative functions of the different modes in relation to each other and evaluating how a translation interacts with other modes as a part of a multimodal orchestration
• reviewing the current state of research on multimodal translation within translation studies and promoting awareness of the importance of such research to the discipline
• developing novel research approaches that can address the diversity of multimodal data
• envisioning and encouraging new ways of thinking about and conceptualizing multimodal translation
• developing interdisciplinary research approaches that allow for the emergence of new and broadened perspectives into multimodal translation

translation pedagogy, collaborative and reflective learning methods, phenomenologically informed pedagogy, (self-)reflexive critical thinking, empowering students

My philosophy and views of teaching and learning are firmly rooted in non-transmissionist epistemology. I am interested in collaborative, reflective learning methods in higher education contexts, particularly in the context of translator training. Translation is quintessentially characterized by indeterminacy: It is a complex process in which there are no clear answers, or “one right approach”, but rather, the translator must be able to deliberate among competing solutions to translation problems. Therefore, students of translation need to develop their cognitive flexibility, independent and critical thinking, and creative problem-solving skills in order to be able to act upon real-life translation problems. The ultimate aim of reflective, collaborative learning methods is empowerment: Engaging in reflective – and self-reflexive – practices led by a teacher-facilitator constitutes a means of helping students towards greater self-understanding and ongoing professional growth.