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The new world and scholarship translation practices: necessary changes in defining evidence. (WSCA Presidential Address 2002).

Article Excerpt
THANK YOU FOR THE opportunity to share several thoughts about our discipline. Using last year's theme of "translation practices," I would like to take you on a journey to consider new directions and necessary changes in our scholarship. I am moved by Kant's (Jaspers, 1962) thinking that suggests we should be concerned with both the development of theory and practical behavior. Through both we come to understand our world.

As scholars in communication, we have a rich history of focusing on the practical while seeking knowledge about the communicative process. At some points in our history, those more interested in the practical applications and scholars concerned with studying communicative issues split into camps of individuals who often denied the legitimacy of each other. For example, elocutionists were involved with practical applications of public speaking while rhetoricians were more often engaged in developing theoretical proposals. Today, we have seen changes that allow us to better consider how to blend both the theoretical and practical to achieve a more complete picture of communication (e. g., Ford, Ray, & Ellis, 1999; Keyton & Rhodes, 1999; Parrott & Duggan, 1999; Petronio, 1999; Trost, Langan, & Kellar-Guenther, 1999). However, at least one more step is necessary. We need to foster the training of translators (Petronio, 1999). We can benefit from people working to convert theoretical perspectives and research programs into the practical. As of late, we have seen more emphasis on research that is connected to people's needs in the everyday world and publication outlets that encourage this path (e.g., Journal of Applied Communication Research).

Nevertheless, a more concerted effort to make that translation process part of our vocabulary, our actions, and deeds is necessary. Through translation of knowledge about communication, we can bring critical information to those outside our discipline. In so doing, we can illustrate the contribution that our discipline can make to the betterment of others. When we ask why we are conducting our scholarship, we need to answer the question with reasons that focus on ways we help people in their everyday lives. Because we can give people insights into the complicated world of communication, we have an obligation to uncover how to contribute to the betterment of our world. Perhaps we can offer alternative ways for others to consider a problem, suggest options others may not have thought about, identify choices that are not obvious,...