Vacante UGent: Professor in Translation Studies focused on Translation History and/or Translation Ethics

→   Apply until 22/01/2021 23:59 (Brussels time)

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is one of the most important education and research institutions in the Low Countries. On a daily basis, over 9,000 staff members and 41,000 students implement its motto “Dare to Think”. Ghent University’s mission statement is characterised by qualitative education, internationally renowned research and a pluralistic social responsibility.

ASSIGNMENT

The Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy of Ghent University offers a Bachelor degree in Applied Language Studies (German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Spanish, Turkish), three one-year Masters degrees (Translation, Interpreting, Multilingual Communication), one two-year Master of Education and three one-year postgraduate degrees (Conference Interpreting, Computer Assisted Language Mediation, Dutch and Translation). We have a vacancy for an assistant professor (tenure track) in Translation Studies focused on Translation History and/or Translation Ethics, whose appointment will include academic teaching, academic research and academic services. The earliest starting date of the position is 1 September 2021.

Academic education

You lecture various course units in the disciplines offered by the departmental curriculum of Dutch, English, German, Italian or Spanish at Bachelor, Master or Postgraduate level. Courses will be assigned in accordance with the needs of the language section you will be affiliated to. You supervise Bachelor papers and Masters’ theses of students of the Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication.

Academic Research

You will be conducting research within the TRACE research group at Ghent University. This research group cooperates closely with the Centre for Literature in Translation, CLIV, an association research group with the Free University of Brussels (VUB).

You conduct research in the discipline of Translation Studies focused on Translation History and/or Translation Ethics and study the role of translation and the ethical decisions taken by translators in the context of historical and/or current social developments in order to expose social criticism and power relationships revealed or masked in translation. You coordinate research projects and attract funding for innovative projects in the field of Translation History and/or Translation Ethics. You communicate research findings both in established academic media (peer-reviewed journals, peer-reviewed monographs, tier I conferences) and to non-academic readers.

Academic services

You take part in the internal and external service provision of the department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication.

PROFILE

Experience

• You have already conducted eminent academic research in the given discipline, which is clearly reflected in publications in high-quality academic journals and peer-reviewed books;
• You are capable of initiating, supervising and acquiring the necessary funding for academic research;
• You are didactically skilled to teach university students to develop academic competences;
• You are a native speaker of Dutch or you are willing to reach level C1 within three years after recruitment. In addition, your academic English is at C1-level;
• Recommended are:
  • International mobility, among other things thanks to research stays at institutions external to the one where you acquired your highest academic degree;
  • Positively evaluated experience in provided and organized academic lecturing.

Skills / Attitude

• You have a sense for initiative;
• You feel challenged to think innovatively about translation;
• You are able to work independently as well as in a team;
• Where possible, you seek collaboration with other research groups within the department and/or faculty;
• You feel challenged to participate in a flexible way in the engagements and tasks within  the Department

Admission requirements

• You hold a thesis-based doctorate or a diploma or certificate that is recognised as equivalent (article V.20 Codex Higher Education).

Upon evaluation of a foreign (non-EU) diploma, a certificate of equivalence may still have to be requested at NARIC. If this is the case, we advise you to initiate this recognition procedure as soon as possible. You are required to have the recognition no later than on the date of your appointment.

• You have at least two years of postdoctoral experience on 1 september 2021. This term of two years is determined by the date written on the above-mentioned required diploma.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

We offer you a temporary appointment in a tenure track system for a term of five years. If positively evaluated by the University Board, the term of office will be transferred into a permanent appointment as an associate professor.

Should you already be a member of the professorial staff or hold an equal post at another university or research institution, you can immediately be appointed as an assistant professor, without prejudice to the possibility of a temporary appointment offered in article V.28 of the Codex of Higher Education.

The recruitment is possible no sooner than 1 september 2021.

OUR OFFER

The career and evaluation policy for Professorial Staff is based on talent development and growth, prioritizing vision development and strategy – at the personal as well as the group level. At UGent we focus on career support and coaching of the Professorial Staff in the different phases of the career. More information can be found on www.ugent.be/en/work/mobility-career/career-aspects/professorial-staff.

Ghent University is committed to properly welcoming new professorial staff members and offering them appropriate guidance. The basic teacher training and courses of ‘Dutch’ and ‘English’ for foreign-speaking lecturers are only a few examples of our wide range of training and education opportunities. Furthermore, each Ghent University staff member can count on a number of benefits such as a bike allowance, reimbursement of public transport commuting costs, daycare, a wide range of sports facilities and EcoCheques. A complete overview of all our employee benefits (in Dutch).

Ghent University also invests in welcoming international professorial staff. It offers various housing options, a relocation bonus, the International School for school-aged children (with a discount on the tuition fee), support when registering at the City of Ghent, support with the procedure of family reunification and other administrative matters in connection with moving to Ghent. More information can be found on www.ugent.be/en/living.

Candidates who are newly appointed at Ghent University with an appointment as autonomous academic staff of at least 50% or candidates whose appointment as autonomous academic staff at Ghent University is increased to a minimum of 50% receive a Starting Grant of € 210,000 to contribute towards the personnel, operating and/or equipment costs of establishing a research team.

GENDER AND DIVERSITY

Ghent University conducts an equal opportunities policy and encourages everyone to apply.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

After the final application date, all received applications will be sent to the faculty assessment committee assembled for this vacancy. This committee will first evaluate the application files. Therefore it will match all elements of the file against the required expertise for the position in terms of education, research and scientific service. Based on this deliberation, relevant candidates will be shortlisted to be invited for further selection (interview, possible presentation or test lecture …). Afterwards, the committee will rank the suitable candidates and present this ranking to the Faculty Board. The advice of the Faculty Board will then be presented to the University Board for approval.

Candidates are asked to further discuss their top 5 most important publications or other academic achievements with the highest impact. Next to academic publications, the candidate is thus also able to show merit of knowledge transfer by academic dissemination, social valorisation, public awareness, seminars or conference presentations. These competences are also taken into account when evaluating the candidates.

The evaluation of the required international mobility is broad and partly takes the gender perspective into account, thus not only consiering longer stays abroad by also other forms of internationalisation.

Pregnancy leave, prolonged sick leave, parental leave, filial leave or other forms of absence are taken into account when evaluating the available time for the realisation of academic output.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We do not accept late applications or applications that are not sent through the online system.

Your application must include the following documents:

• In the field ‘Cv’: one-pdf file with
  • the professorial staff application form

• a text (max. 1500 words) in which the applicant explains his/her views on research, education and scientific services related to the position;
• a research proposal (max. 1500 words) on the research that the applicant wishes to set up within the research domain of Translation Studies focused on Translation History and/or Translation Ethics, cf. the research groups TRACE and the alliance research group (Ugent/VUB) CLIV (https://research.flw.ugent.be/en/trace; https://research.flw.ugent.be/en/cliv). The research proposal should include at least the following components: background; objectives/questions; method; reflection on how the research relates to the objectives and mission of the Department.
• a portfolio with additional information about your own educational competences
• eventually additional annexes mentioned in the form

• In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter in pdf format
• In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of your doctoral degree. If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
• In the field ‘Certificate of equivalence’: only for diplomas awarded outside the European Union: certificate of equivalence (NARIC) (if already in you possession)

Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.

MORE INFORMATION

For further information regarding this vacancy, please contact Professor Veronique Hoste (Veronique.Hoste@ugent.be) at the faculty of Arts and Philosophy, department Translation, Interpreting and Communication.