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VI International Conference on the History of Non-Literary Translation

22–24 April 2026

Conference room of the Palau de Cerveró

Dictionaries and translation (eighteenth–twentieth centuries)

 

The VI International Conference on the History of Non-Literary Translation will be dedicated to the study of dictionaries as a fundamental tool in translation practice between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.

Along with translations, translators and publishers, teaching and political translation (topics addressed in previous editions), dictionaries constitute one of the pillars of the history of translation. Its relevance is particularly significant in the field of translation of specialised texts, where terminological precision was essential.

As early as the eighteenth century, translators pointed out in the prologues of their works the lack of technical and scientific dictionaries that could guide them in the search for adequate equivalences. Throughout the nineteenth century, the progress of science and technology multiplied the need to coin and set new terms in the different disciplines.

In this context, monolingual, bilingual and multilingual dictionaries became a key element in the transmission of knowledge and in the consolidation of translation as a bridge between languages and cultures.

 

Thematic lines

1. Dictionaries and translation of specialised texts (eighteenth–twentieth centuries)

  • Lexicographic tools for the translation of scientific and technical texts.
  • Specialized dictionaries versus general directories.
  • Function of dictionaries in translation practice.

2. Prologues and paratexts of translations as a terminological source

  • Translators' testimonials on terminological difficulties.
  • Compensatory strategies in the absence of adequate repertoires.
  • Explicit references to dictionaries used.

3. Technical and scientific lexicography linked to translation

  • Preparation of specialised dictionaries (chemistry, medicine, veterinary, technical).
  • Relationship between scientific advances and lexicographic production.
  • Dictionaries as a means of disseminating specialised terminology.

4. Creation of neologisms within the framework of scientific and technical advances

  • Translation and adaptation of neologisms.
  • Terminological innovations not initially minted in science and technology.

5. Role of bilingual and multilingual dictionaries in the transmission of knowledge

  • Cultural and scientific exchange through lexicographic repertoires.
  • Circulation of knowledge between Europe and America.
  • Mediating function of dictionaries in the consolidation of disciplines.

 

Plenary conferences

Bertha María Gutiérrez Knee 

Professor of History of Science at the University of Salamanca. She has a degree and a doctorate in Medicine and Surgery and a degree in Hispanic Philology. Her research focuses on the history of scientific and medical language, terminology and the dissemination of knowledge. She is an academician of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Salamanca and currently Vice-Rector for Undergraduate and Quality Studies at her university.

José Carlos de Hoyos

University professor. Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3. A specialist in lexicography, history of lexicon and linguistic contacts, he has worked on the evolution of scientific and technical vocabulary and its historical dimension. His research addresses the relationship between dictionaries, translation and the circulation of knowledge in the Spanish-French sphere.

María Belén Villar Díaz

Lecturer at the Université Lumière Lyon 2. Her lines of research focus on historical linguistics, lexitography and the history of Spanish. He has studied the formation and dissemination of the specialised lexicon, as well as the role of lexicographic repertoires in cultural transmission.

Thierry Nallet

Maître de conférences en llengua, traducció i cultures del mundo hispànic at the Université Grenoble-Alps. A specialist in specialised translation and applied language teaching, he works on linguistic mediation and translator training. He is Deputy Director of LEA Studies (Valencia) and responsible for Spanish in the TSM Master's Degree (Traduction spécialisée multilingue).

 

Submission of proposals

In order to facilitate the participation of researchers who may have difficulties travelling to Valencia, the organising committee will set up a specific session of presentations in online mode, depending on the number of applications received.

 

Registration

  • Registration fee: 125 euros.
  • Students: free registration.

 

Bank details: IBAN: ES38 2100 8681 5802 0013 6594