Planned Impact
Our research will be of particular relevance to think-tanks and non-profit organisations in the UK and abroad, notably the China Policy Institute (University of Nottingham), the Africa Asia Centre of the Royal African Society, the Royal Institute for International Affairs, the European Centre for Research in Asia, Africa and Latin America (ECRAAL) and UNESCO. By foregrounding a relatively under-researched topic that nevertheless underlies many more traditional areas of enquiry, such as development, trade, aid and education, we anticipate that our research will bring an important fresh perspective to the learning and expertise represented by these societies and organizations. Through the impact pathways already in place through these societies, we will also be able to make our research available to governments and companies looking for expert input into their strategies and foreign and cultural policies. Insights into the way the China-Africa dialogues are framed and translated could have an important bearing, for example, on the way in which policy-makers – whether in Africa or in its traditional western counterparts such as France and the UK – view the growing presence of Chinese people, cultural exchanges and investments in Africa and how they interact with or take account of these for the future. It should enrich the evidence-base for the critical evaluation of these interactions. Better linguistic understanding, prompted by a more transparent translation environment, could thus potentially assist cultural dialogue, facilitate better commercial and economic decision-making and help in public discourse and policy-making on a very broad front. We recognize that the limited scope of this research proposal is but a very small step on this path; nevertheless, it illustrates how many more opportunities the project may open up.
2) Publishers and Booksellers
The findings of the literary translation survey will be of particular interest to publishers, publishers’ networks and booksellers in China and Africa, particularly those for whom the publication of Africa-related material, or of translated literature more generally, represents an important part of their business. In China, this includes the Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House and the Hunan Educational Press; in Africa, the African Publishers’ Network and the Pan African Booksellers’ Association are key organisations. Our research is expected to have an impact on the strategic planning in which these organisations, or those represented through the networks, are involved by providing a global overview of existing publishing priorities and highlighting notable gaps in publishing markets.
3) General Public
The intrinsic public appeal of studies of China’s involvement in Africa is evidenced by the regularity and prominence of media reports on the topic, and by the rapid growth in books and documentaries targeting non-academic audiences. Our research will help enable a shift away from what Deborah Brautigam (2009) has termed the ‘myths’ surrounding China’s engagement in Africa, offering an accessible and fascinating perspective on the realities of Chinese-African co-operation