Paul Thomas
Convenor, Indonesian Program
Biography
Qualifications
Contact Details
Subjects Taught
Research
Interests
Conference Papers and Publications
Biography
I came to languages thorough my experiences in radio, travel and theatre, studying languages informally before enrolling in an Education degree with majors in Italian and Indonesian. After graduating, I taught in Indonesia and Singapore and began working as a freelance translator. On returning to Australia I took up positions teaching Indonesian at tertiary institutions with my research primarily on the role of first language as a language learning strategy.
My current research is in Translation Studies and reflects a strong interest in the political and historical role of translation, particularly in the field of journalism and as a point of first contact between nations. Additional projects include representations of Indonesians and Malays in Australian films and the history of the Indonesian Malay language in Australia.
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Qualifications
PhD – enrolled – Translation Studies, Monash University
Master of Arts, Applied Linguistics, Melbourne University
Bachelor of Education, Adelaide University
Associate Diploma Applied Science, University of South Australia
NAATI Professional Level Translator (Indonesian-English)
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Contact details
| Room: | W307, Building 11, Clayton Campus |
| Phone: | 99052243 (Clayton) |
| Email: | paul.thomas@monash.edu |
| Fax: | (03) 9905 5437 (international: 61 3 9905 5437) |
| Mailing Address: | Mr Paul Thomas |
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Subjects Taught
1st Semester
ATS1111 Indonesian 1
ATS2113 Indonesian 3
ATS3117 Indonesian for Special Purposes: Media Massa
APG4814Translation 1: Putting theory into practice
2nd Semester
ATS1112 Indonesian 2
ATS2114 Indonesian 4
ATS3118 Indonesian for Special Purposes: Seni Drama
APG4815Translation 2: Language for special purposes
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Research Interests
The cultural and political role of translation in journalism.
The history of the Indonesian-Malay language in Australia.
Representations of Indonesia/Indonesians in Australian popular culture.
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Conference Papers and Publications
2010 'Oodeen and Interpreting on Australia's Northern Frontier’ Indonesians Overseas: Historical perspectives, University of Wollongong, 10-11 December.
2010 'The Malay (native) interpreter in Australian historical narratives’, Found in Translation Conference, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 23-25 July.
2009 ‘Quite words invisible past: the interpreter/translator in the Australian-Indonesian relationship’. Asian Studies Association of Australia Indonesia Council Open Conference, Sydney University, Sydney, 15-17 July.
2009 ‘The foreign correspondent and the interpreter/translator: Professional interactions in reporting between nations’. 3rd Conference of the International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS) Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, 8-10 July.
2009 ‘Bringing Indonesia into our world: Creating a cultural space for an Australian-Indonesian experience’. Victorian Indonesian Teachers Association Annual Conference, Hemisphere Convention Centre, Melbourne, 26-27 February.
2008 ‘Shadows in history: The presence of the translator/interpreter in colonial Australia’. Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators Biennial National Conference, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 14-15 November.
2008 ‘Masa Datang yang Gemilang:The establishment of Indonesian teaching in Australia as culture and diplomacy’. Indonesian Teachers Association 20th Anniversary Conference, Education Development Centre, Adelaide, 15 August.
2008 ‘Chasing readers: Translation as a conveyor of prestige, nationalism and culture in the Indonesian English language media’. The 17th Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia, Sebel Hotel, Melbourne 1-3 July.
2007 ‘’Bahasa Coolie’ to ‘Bahasa Tetangga’: False beginnings and early foundations in the teaching of Indonesian in Australia’. Asian Studies Association of Australia Indonesia Council Open Conference, Monash University, Melbourne, 24-25 September.
2007 ‘Fifty years of Indonesian Language Teaching in Australia: A ‘prehistory’’. Indonesian Language Teaching in the Age of Uncertainty, Australian Society of Indonesian Language Educators (ASILE), University of the Sunshine Coast 5 - 8 July.
2007 ‘Hearts and minds: Literary patronage in the Australian-Indonesian relationship’ The Colonial Present Australian Writing for the 21st Century, Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, July 1-4.
2006 ‘Expanding Identities: Jakarta's English Language press as translation and culture’, Asia Pacific Futures Research Network, Media: Policies, cultures and Asia Pacific Region, Curtin University, Perth, 27-29 November.
2006 ‘A translator in every journalist: dual professions in the Indonesian Media’, Conference of Australian Interpreters and Translators - Risks and Rewards - Melbourne, Monash University Melbourne, Caulfield Campus, 17-18 November.
2005 ‘Translation as culture and politics in Jakarta’s English language press’, Translation and/as Culture Conference, Monash University.