Food Discourse in Contemporary Uzbek Literature
UW Ingraham Hall 1155 Observatory Drive, Madison, Wisconsin
press release: We welcome you to the 2018 CESSI Summer Lecture Series! All lectures are free and open to the public and will be held on Thursdays at 4pm in 206 Ingraham. Join us each week for these events!
Speaker: Gulnoza Odilova, Professor of Uzbek Language and Literature, Tashkent State University
Gluttony discourse plays an important role in literature. Research on this topic shows gluttony discourse narratives can be used as a tool to describe individuality, spirituality, mood, and the social status of the protagonist. Eating processes, cooking scenes, descriptions of food, and what and how the protagonist eats can all provide source readers with clues to the writer’s intent because they usually carry pragmatic national associations. However, the difference between cooking habits, kitchen details, and features specific to dishes in the source and target cultures can cause a loss of understanding. This issue assumes serious dimension in translation studies. In this lecture, Dr. Odilova analyses different novels from Uzbek literature with narrative descriptions of food and eating habits. The factors of untranslatability and connotations associated with the translation of gluttony discourse in fiction will be presented using specific examples and pictures. Additionally, Odilova will suggest some solutions to problems of intercultural communication and crossing cultural barriers in translation of fiction from Uzbek into English in the hopes of better defining a more in-depth description of the Uzbek national worldview.
Gulnoza Odilova is Chair of the Theory and Practice of Translation Department at Tashkent State University and a professor of Uzbek language and literature. She teaches courses on the following subjects: Theory and Practice of Translation (Uzbek-English), Introduction to Translation Studies, and Fiction Translation. Dr. Odilova is also a poet and a translator of poetry and prose.