When the same word means the same thing to everyone

Yulia Griber has taken up work as a guest researcher in Hildesheim for three months. Her objective is to systematize and synchronize the technical terms from Russian art and cultural history with European standards. Jointly with her Russian colleagues, she also translated this reference work into Russian.

EwaGlos stands for "European Illustrated Glossary of Conservation Terms for Wall Paintings and Architectural Surfaces". Since the restoration sciences had thus far lacked internationally- standardized technical terminology, a European consortium consisting of seven scientific institutions generated the richly-illustrated glossary "EwaGlos" under the leadership of Dr. Angela Weyer. As part of a project co-financed by the EU, 70 experts from twelve European countries very concisely defined 200 technical terms and illustrated them as unequivocally as possible. Originally the glossary was available in eleven languages.

Yulia Griber studied linguistics in Smolensk. She earned a PhD in philosophy in Moscow and completed a bachelor's degree in sociology at the FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany’s only state distance-learning university. Griber subsequently qualified as a professor in the field of Cultural Studies in St. Petersburg. Today she is head of the Cultural Management course at the University of Smolensk and serves as director of the local ColorLab. "The lab is one-of-a-kind in Russia", says the 43-year-old, "we research how people react to colors. Do women react differently to colors than men? Do different age groups also have different preferences with regard to colors? All our projects center on these questions."

Griber’s first contact with the Hornemann Institute already occurred in 2011 when she was at Dresden University of the Arts on a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholarship. Her supervising professor in the Restoration Department, Dr. Thomas Danzl, encouraged her to apply to give a speech at the international conference "Geteilt - Vereint! Denkmalpflege in Mitteleuropa zur Zeit des Eisernen Vorteils und heute" (Divided – United! Monument Conservation in Central Europe during the Cold War and Today), which was held in 2013 in Hildesheim. The conference was organized by Prof. Ursula Schädler-Saub and Dr. Angela Weyer from the HAWK. Yulia Griber was invited to speak on the topic of "The preservation of religious monuments in the former Soviet Union using the example of Smolensk." Weyer and Griber subsequently kept in touch.

Finally, in 2015, the Hornemann Institute was able to ceremoniously announce the publication of the world's first glossary of technical terms for wall painting and architectural surfaces in eleven languages. Today, this glossary is available online in 11 languages. The bound English work has been translated into 14 languages. The most recent addition –the fifteenth language – is the translation into Persian. The Russian edition, which is being prepared by Yulia Griber and her colleagues at Smolensk, is a work-in-progress with publication expected at the beginning of 2020. Angela Weyer had sent a printed copy of EwaGlos to Smolensk, along with an invitation to translate the work into Russian. "We were very proud of this commission. Collaborating with seven colleagues, it took more than a year before we had completed it." And now a scholarship from the Russian gouvernment will make it possible to finance its printing, which is scheduled for the end of January.

Another DAAD scholarship will now enable Griber to serve as a guest researcher at the Hornemann Institute for three months. Her job is to prepare the commentary on the translation. The European science community is often unaware of the peculiarities of cultural heritage conservation in Russia simply because translations into other languages are unavailable. Knowledge of unique studies on social issues, the nation’s cultural characteristics and its architecture is often limited to Russian speakers. Griber is now busy with the synchronization and interpretation of the terms, a task which would have been impossible from a desk in her home. She is dependent on literature that she can access in Hildesheim. "In Russia, I wouldn’t have found a single book from the EwaGlos bibliography. I work in paradisiacal conditions here; everything I need I can get from the HAWK library on campus or from the wonderful Dombibliothek Hildesheim." On the side, Yulia Griber also conducts informal "regional studies" by indulging in German Christmas traditions and delicious local food. "But I have also gained insights into the way the renowned Hornemann Institute works: the international exchange of knowledge, the online courses and conferences. All this will serve as a model for my laboratory in Smolensk", she emphasizes.

Even once the Russian translation has been published, the commentary has been completed and Yulia Griber has returned to Smolensk at the end of January, the reference work EwaGlos for internationally standardized specialist terminology will continue to keep Griber busy.  And it will also keep active her contact to the Hornemann Institute because Angela Weyer is planning a second edition of EwaGlos, the EwaGlos II: "We plan to digitize the glossary and also expand it in the process. Our goal is to create an app that monument restorers perched atop scaffolding can call up on their Smartphones. They will be able to get answers regarding conservation measures directly online", according to Weyer.  "Indeed, practically all of the partner organizations have already agreed to this." And Prof. Dr. Yulia Griber will be part of the team.