scholarly journals Aspects of “Cultural Literacy” Relevant to Bible Translation

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Ernst-August Gutt

In 1987 E.D. Hirsch published his bestseller Cultural literacy: What every American needs to know. The education system of the time seriously underestimated the importance of background knowledge needed to successfully function in literate American society. Drawing on two decades of experimental research, Hirsch showed that without the background information needed for a given text, readers are effectively illiterate with regard to that text. He argued that quantitatively, too, background knowledge plays a major role in comprehension: the information explicitly stated in any text is only “the tip of the iceberg” of the intended meaning, the bulk needs to be supplied by the reader. In the light of this, Hirsch argued that one of the central goals of the educational system must be to provide American children with an adequate body of knowledge that would enable them to understand all communications addressed to the general public. This body of knowledge he called “cultural literacy.” Based on three decades of experience in Bible translation, the author of this paper sees some striking parallels with regard to the dominant philosophy in Bible translation. While the provision of biblical background knowledge has been given more attention in some quarters in recent years, it is still far from being acknowledged and treated as a key factor in the planning and execution of Bible translation projects, essential to ensure optimal efficiency of the work and to maximise the impact of the products. Applying relevant insights gained by Hirsch, the author examines the extent and nature of biblical literacy, that is, the background knowledge, needed for the successful comprehension of a sample text (Lk 10:13–14). This is done with the help of conceptual tools provided by relevance theory, the currently most developed theory of inferential communication. It goes on to the task of systematically identifying mismatches in background knowledge between original and receptor audience. It draws attention to the importance of timing and processing effort in biblical literacy strategies designed to overcome such mismatches. One of the spin-offs of biblical literacy is the need for closer interdisciplinary cooperation between biblical studies, anthropology and translation.

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alzbeta Binkova ◽  
Marion Uebelhart ◽  
Patrick Dällenbach ◽  
Michel Boulvain ◽  
Angèle Gayet-Ageron ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) concerns over 200 million women and girls worldwide and is associated with obstetric trauma and long-term urogynaecological and psychosexual complications that are often under-investigated and undertreated. The aim of this study was to assess the pelvic floor distress and the impact of pelvic floor and psychosexual symptoms among migrant women with different types of FGM/C. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2016 and January 2019 at the Division of Gynaecology of the Geneva University Hospitals. The participants were interviewed on socio-demographic and background information, underwent a systematic gynaecological examination to assess the presence and type of FGM/C and eventual Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP), and completed six validated questionnaires on pelvic floor and psychosexual symptoms (PFDI-20 and PFIQ7 on pelvic floor distress and impact, FISI and WCS on faecal incontinence and constipation, PISQ-IR and FGSIS on sexual function and genital self-image). The participants’ scores were compared with scores of uncut women available from the literature. The association between selected variables and higher scores for distress and impact of pelvic floor symptoms was assessed using univariate and multivariable linear regression models. Results 124 women with a mean age of 31.5 (± 7.5), mostly with a normal BMI, and with no significant POP were included. PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 mean (± SD) scores were of 49.5 (± 52.0) and 40.7 (± 53.6) respectively. In comparison with the available literature, the participants’ scores were lower than those of uncut women with pelvic floor dysfunction but higher than those of uncut women without such disorders. Past violent events other than FGM/C and forced or arranged marriage, age at FGM/C of more than 10, a period of staying in Switzerland of less than 6 months, and nulliparity were significantly associated with higher scores for distress and impact of pelvic floor symptoms, independently of known risk factors such as age, weight, ongoing pregnancy and history of episiotomy. Conclusions Women with various types of FGM/C, without POP, can suffer from pelvic floor symptoms responsible for distress and impact on their daily life. Trial registration. The study protocol was approved by the Swiss Ethics Committee on research involving humans (protocol n°15-224).


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-56
Author(s):  
Ahmed Mehedi Nizam

Abstract A decrease in interest rate in traditional view of monetary policy transmission is linked to a lower cost of borrowing which eventually results into a greater spending in investment and a bigger GDP. However, a decrease in interest rate is also linked to a decrease in interest income which, in turn, affects the aggregate demand and total GDP. So far, no concerted effort has been made to investigate this positive inter-relation between interest income and GDP in the existing literature. Here in the first place we intuitively describe the inter-relation between interest income and output and then provide a micro-foundation of our intuitive reasoning in the context of a small endowment economy with finitely-lived identical households. Then we try to uncover the impact of nominal interest income on the macroeconomy using multiplier theory for a panel of some 04 (four) OECD countries. We define and calculate the corresponding multiplier values algebraically and then we empirically measure them using impulse response analysis under structural panel VAR framework. Large, consistent and positive values of the cumulative multipliers indicate a stable positive relationship between nominal interest income and output. Moreover, variance decomposition of GDP shows that a significant portion of the variance in GDP is attributed to interest income under VAR/VECM framework. Finally, we have shown how and where our analysis fits into the existing body of knowledge.


2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xosé Rosales Sequeiros

This article explores second language (L2) learners’ interpretation of reflexive anaphora in VP-Ellipsis by critiquing the work of Ying (2003), who applies Relevance Theory to explain elliptical anaphora. It argues against four claims made in his analysis: that L2 learners apply maximal relevance in anaphoric interpretation; that a procedural account of the impact of referential sentences on VP-ellipsis disambiguation is appropriate; that an account of anaphoric interpretation preferences should be based on processing cost; and that differences in experimental results between intermediate and advanced L2 learners are due to the use of different comprehension strategies (see Sperber, 1994). Instead, it argues: that it is not maximal but rather optimal relevance that is at work; that the key in disambiguating anaphora in VP-elliptical sentences is the achievement of an optimally relevant interpretation; that the role of contextual assumptions in anaphora resolution is to enable L2 learners to derive enough contextual effects to make it worth their effort and, in doing so, identifying (as a side effect) what they take to have been the intended referent; and that what is crucial in the use of comprehension strategies is not processing effort, but rather consistency with the second principle of relevance. Overall, all these factors provide the basis for an alternative and more comprehensive explanation of the experimental results discussed by Ying.


Author(s):  
Christopher G Calvin

I investigate the impact that adherence to the Institute of Internal Auditors' Core Principles has on the likelihood that an internal auditor's effectiveness is threatened through pressure to modify valid audit findings. I use responses from the Institute of Internal Auditors' 2015 Common Body of Knowledge Practitioner Survey to show that higher adherence to the Core Principles by both internal audit staff and CAEs is associated with a lower likelihood of being pressured to modify audit findings. I also explore which of the ten Core Principles are dominant in explaining these associations to inform the future development of the internal audit profession. Finally, I investigate the sources of pressure to modify audit findings and explore the effect the Core Principles have in mitigating pressure from each source. My findings are relevant to the Institute of Internal Auditors, internal audit practitioners, and academics interested in internal audit or corporate governance.


Author(s):  
Boon Liat Cheng

Objective - This study proposed a model to test the impacts of the four dimensions of service innovation (i.e., process innovation, organisational innovation, marketing innovation and product innovation) on tourist satisfaction in the Malaysian tourism. Methodology/Technique - Measurement items for the dimensions of service innovation were developed through focus group interviews. A convenience sampling approach was adopted with the distribution of 400 questionnaires among local and foreign tourists. Statistical tolls in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were adopted to analyse the reliability of items and the hypothesised relationships in the proposed research model. Findings - The findings reveal that the respective dimensions of service innovation are significantly related to tourist satisfaction. These findings contribute to the services marketing body of knowledge by providing insight on the impact of service innovation on tourist satisfaction. Novelty - Limited studies have been done to examine the impact of service innovation dimensions on tourist satisfaction.The findings of this study contribute to the services marketing body of knowledge by providing insight on the impact of service innovation on tourist satisfaction. At the same time to address the practical implications by recommending relevant and effective service innovation strategies for the tourism industry in Malaysia. This knowledge is useful for benchmarking better service innovation practices among the industry practitioners. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Service Innovation; Process Innovation; Organisational Innovation; Marketing Innovation; Product Innovation; Tourist Satisfaction


2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-392
Author(s):  
Shirley Newton-Guest ◽  
Claudia Sofia Moreno ◽  
Marla Coyoy ◽  
Roxanna Najmi ◽  
Tonia Martin ◽  
...  

This has been a season of change worldwide. It has become virtually impossible to ignore distressing news about the state of our world. COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work, how we think, and even how we grieve. Every day, Americans are bombarded with reports of rising death tolls, massive unemployment, economic turmoil, and dismal foreseeable predictions. This health crisis has put an enormous amount of pressure on the global community, and this is especially true for our clients who are new immigrants. This pressure has manifested in mental health challenges. Social workers have reported that for many clients the uncertainty and pressure are becoming too much to handle. Typically, clients are experiencing anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, and in some cases interpersonal violence (Brodhead, 2020; Endale et al. 2020; Saltzman et al.,2020). Now imagine the impact on unaccompanied minors arriving at our borders. Prior to the pandemic, the unaccompanied children were dealing with three crises simultaneously: 1) parental and home country separation; 2) trauma from a harsh journey; and 3) language barrier and cultural shock. These issues alone are overwhelming and cause powerful emotions such as anxiety in these children. So how can these emotions be managed, coupled with the dangers of COVID-19? How can social workers provide comfort and support when they may be experiencing the same emotions? This article brings this hidden reality into the public view and enrich the existing social work body of knowledge by demonstrating the restorative power of faith, spirituality, and self-care.      


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Shuangjiang Du ◽  
Baofu Zhang ◽  
Pin Zhang ◽  
Peng Xiang ◽  
Hong Xue

Infrared target detection is a popular applied field in object detection as well as a challenge. This paper proposes the focus and attention mechanism-based YOLO (FA-YOLO), which is an improved method to detect the infrared occluded vehicles in the complex background of remote sensing images. Firstly, we use GAN to create infrared images from the visible datasets to make sufficient datasets for training as well as using transfer learning. Then, to mitigate the impact of the useless and complex background information, we propose the negative sample focusing mechanism to focus on the confusing negative sample training to depress the false positives and increase the detection precision. Finally, to enhance the features of the infrared small targets, we add the dilated convolutional block attention module (dilated CBAM) to the CSPdarknet53 in the YOLOv4 backbone. To verify the superiority of our model, we carefully select 318 infrared occluded vehicle images from the VIVID-infrared dataset for testing. The detection accuracy-mAP improves from 79.24% to 92.95%, and the F1 score improves from 77.92% to 88.13%, which demonstrates a significant improvement in infrared small occluded vehicle detection.


Author(s):  
Hua Wu ◽  
Wichai Eungpinichpong ◽  
Hui Ruan ◽  
Xinding Zhang ◽  
Sansan Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Preschooler inactivity and insufficient motor development have serious long-term consequences. The Chinese Ministry of Education launched a nationwide football-focused pilot project aimed at kindergartens in 2019 and issued the policy “Notice on the Establishment of National Football Kindergartens” in 2020. However, the impact of fundamental movement skills (FMS) interventions on other aspects of child development is unclear. Aim: This study will evaluate the effects of ball skills physical education projects on the development of Chinese preschoolers’ physical, motor, cognitive, and social competencies and examine the influencing factors. Method: This is a quasi-experimental study evaluating how well the “Hello Sunshine” curriculum project promotes children’s development over 10 weeks. The trial will be conducted from September 2021 to November 2021 in 12 classes from 3 kindergartens with a total of 249 children aged 4 to 6 years in Haikou, China. Pre- and posttest analyses will include tests on participants’ physical fitness, FMS, cognitive self-regulation, and emotional competence. Participants’ background information will be collected through questionnaires answered by parents and teachers. The intervention will focus on game-based basic ball skills. Findings: If this intervention provides evidence that these skills improve children’s multidimensional development, it will support the promotion of similar programs in China. We will also outline the social-ecological factors affecting the intervention’s results, providing further information for improving pedagogical methods related to preschool ball skills.


2008 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 4.1-4.17
Author(s):  
Neomy Storch ◽  
Kathryn Hill

There is a common expectation, particularly amongst international students, that studying in an English-medium university should automatically produce a significant improvement in their English language skills. However, there is growing evidence to suggest that this is not necessarily the case.This paper reports on a study which investigated the impact of one semester of study at a university on the English language proficiency of a sample of 40 international students. This was measured by comparing the students’ scores on a diagnostic English language test at the beginning and end of their first semester. A comparison of discourse measures of writing in terms of fluency, complexity and accuracy was also undertaken. Background information, including details of ESL support, if any, was collected for all participants via questionnaires, and interviews were conducted with a subset of the participants.It was found that studying in an English-medium university generally led to an improvement in English language proficiency. The paper identifies a number of factors which appear to support language development, as well as factors that may inhibit it.


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