MATI 2018 Webinar Series - Is an Emoji Worth a 1,000 Words?

Is an Emoji Worth a 1,000 Words?

Substituting or complementing the written word with symbols seems to be a trend today, even for the most awkward social dystopians. Language always changes, but it's exceedingly rare maybe even unprecedented for a phonetic alphabet to suddenly acquire a big expansion pack of ideograms. Peppering our digital communication with convenient non-verbal cues and well-timed wit in the form of emojis is exactly how people interact when they chat every day, making faces and gesturing, but what do emojis mean for a translator, or even better, a legal translator? Indeed, the legal world has had to take notice of emojis, as lawyers have started bringing forward the text communications sent by people accused of crime as evidence and adding them to the courtroom repertoire: texts, sexts, emails, tweets, laced with emojis. 

In this session, the attendees will learn cross-cultural pitfalls and technological divides in vastly different interpretations of emojis and the best ways to accurately convey an emojis meaning. The participants will also be able to learn about the research and legal discourse pertaining to emojis and improve their emoji terminology management and research skills. The session is presented in English and Emojis. 

Speaker Bio 

Olga Shostachuk is a PhD Candidate in Translation Studies at Kent State University, Kent, OH, where she previously completed her M.A. in Translation degree. She also holds an M.A. in Education and Linguistics from Lviv National University in Ukraine and a paralegal degree from the Academy of Court Reporting in Cleveland, Ohio. Ms. Shostachuk served as the Vice Chapter Chair for Ohio IMIA and currently is a Ukrainian editor for SlavFile, the 
newsletter of Slavic Languages Division of the ATA. Her research focuses on legal and medical translation, computer-assisted translation, psycholinguistics, localization, pedagogy, and assessment.