Translating the Language of the Covid-19 Pandemic - A Primer by Herrmann, Françoise;

Short description:

ranslating the Language of the COVID-19 Pandemic is an essential primer exploring pandemic terminology. Features three sections covering key terms, virtual platform shifts, and global innovations. Includes 1,500-term bilingual glossary (English-French) and comprehensive appendices. Invaluable for translators and researchers.

Long description:

Translating the Language of the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Primer is an essential primer for translators, offering a comprehensive exploration of the terminology and language that shaped the global response to an unprecedented crisis. Divided into three insightful chapters, the book delves into the linguistic and technological dimensions of the pandemic.

The first chapter, The outbreak, explores key pandemic terms like shelter-in-place, the new normal, and flattening the curve, reflecting societal events during the crisis. The second chapter, Migration online, examines the pandemic's impact on education and the arts, highlighting their transition to virtual platforms. The third chapter, Fire of genius, fuel of survival—inspired by Abraham Lincoln's Lecture on Discoveries and Inventions—showcases global innovations that mitigated the pandemic's effects and analyzes the vaccine rollout, covering its successes and challenges. The book includes an English–French glossary of 1,500 pandemic-related terms, covering scientific and everyday language, along with appendices listing patents and links to virtual performances. A detailed index ensures easy navigation of topics. This comprehensive resource serves as both a primer for translators on the language that defined the COVID-19 pandemic and a reader-friendly presentation of international mitigation technologies and innovations.

This book provides a research-supported retrospective analysis with enduring relevance and features a bilingual compendium of pandemic terminology with potential for expansion into additional languages. It is an invaluable resource for translators, linguists, and researchers seeking to understand the intersection of language, technology, and human resilience during one of the most challenging periods in modern history.

"This meticulously researched analysis of pandemic language in French and English fills a critical gap in translation studies, offering unique insights for both academic programs and healthcare interpretation professionals. This is a timely resource as pandemic preparedness remains essential and the demand for healthcare translators continues to grow."

-Kathleen Loysen, Chairperson, World Languages and Cultures, College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State University, New Jersey, USA

"Françoise Herrmann’s book constitutes a fascinating look at the inventions and language surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. The book provides a useful index of the terminology of the pandemic as well as a valuable historical reflection on the social, material, and cultural inventions and contexts to which the disease gave rise."

-Michael O'Riley, Chairperson, French and Italian Department, Colorado College, USA

Table of Contents:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Figures

Preface

Acknowledgments

List of acronyms and abbreviations

I The outbreak 

II Migration online 

III Fire of genius, fuel of survival

Bilingual English-French glossary of COVID-19 pandemic terms

Appendix I List of cited patents

Appendix II YouTube virtual pandemic performances

Index