Webinar with Assoc. Prof. Esa Christine Hartmann | Intercultural Encounters in Translingual Picture Books: Literary and Pedagogical Perspectives

Abstract

Be it linguistic mediation, metalinguistic awareness or a pedagogy of multiliteracies – many pedagogical aspects of intercultural learning in multilingual contexts of language acquisition can be explored through children’s literature and, more specifically, through multilingual picture books.

This webinar focuses on two translingual picture books that alternate between French and German throughout the narration and address up-to-date socio-political topics, such as migration and global warming: Der Schrei. Le loup migrant by P. Seiler (German translation by S. Maurer) (2019) and Le voyage des ours polaires. Die Reise der Eisbären by T. Père and R. Panchyshyn (French and German translation by S. Maurer) (2017).

Due to their high aesthetic and cultural complexity,  translingual picture books represent an inspiring text type for language teaching and learning at all levels and are suitable for young emergent bilinguals as well as adult additional language learners who take an interest in multilingual literature. This text type is also highly interesting for teachers, educators, professors, and parents in any bilingual or multilingual context.

The literary and pedagogical analysis of these works of art allows us to discuss how translingual picture books can foster integrated, multimodal, and translingual learning as well as the development of biliteracy and intercultural competence.

Bio

Dr Esa Christine Hartmann is an associate professor of German, Comparative Literature, and Bilingual Education at the University of Strasbourg (France) and a member of the research group on Multilingualism, Translation and Creation of the ITEM (Institut des Textes et Manuscrits Modernes) at CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, Paris). Her main research interests include multilingual picture books, multilingual writing, genetic translation studies, collaborative translation, poetics, and stylistics.