Language, Health, and Psychology: Exploring the Links [18/3 Research Seminar Series]

Wednesday March 18, George Eliot Building Room 403, 4-5pm

The cognitive benefits of learning a new language have drawn much attention from the UK media in recent years. Indeed, it is thought that speaking more than one language can improve memory, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. However, not much has been said about the other psychological and well-being benefits of communicating across languages and cultures. In this talk, I will demonstrate that monolinguals are denying themselves the opportunity to boost their emotional health and wellbeing. When we learn a new language and travel to a new country, our (rewarding but sometimes frustrating) experiences develop our resilience and emotional intelligence; we grow to tolerate situations of ambiguity and stress; we gain confidence and empathy; we learn to regulate our emotions and manage conflicting perspectives. Drawing on my own research with professional translators, I will show how working between languages can lead to happier and more well-adjusted individuals who have developed a new understanding of their own dispositions and emotional health.

Bio

Dr. Séverine Hubscher-Davidson is Senior Lecturer and Head of Translation at The Open University in Milton Keynes, UK. She has taught translation theory and practice for over 15 years, and her research interest are in the area of translation psychology, in particular how individual differences impact the translation process. She has published articles on translators’ personalities, emotional intelligence, tolerance of ambiguity, and intuition. Her book, published with Routledge in 2017, tackles the impact of emotions on translation and interpreting performance.