Introduction: The politics of translation and the translation of politics

Abstract

In their introduction to the much-quoted edited collection Translation, Power, Subversion, Álvarez and Vidal (1996, p. 2) posit that translation is one the most representative paradigms of the clash between cultures. In their view, it is important to examine the relationship between the production of "knowledge in a given culture and its transmission, relocation and reinterpretation in the target culture". Álvarez and Vidal underscore the influence of the translator as well as the power relationship that the source and target cultures may have upon the translation practice. Although twenty-five years have passed since the publication of their book, Álvarez and Vidal's work keeps resonating in a world that has become increasingly globalized and where power can be exerted in myriad ways. For Álvarez and Vidal, translation is a political act. And, it may be added, non-translation also is. The influence of politics on translation practice can be observed in the translation of political texts but, as Gagnon claims (2010, p. 252), also in the use of translation as a political statement. The former can be exemplified by the translation of political speeches, such as that of President Donald Trump's inaugural address (discussed by Caimotto's article in this special issue); the translation of news articles, such as those rendered into English and Portuguese by El País or into Spanish and Chinese by The New York Times; and the translation of political texts, such as the works of Karl Marx and his followers that were rendered into Chinese at the beginning of twentieth century. As for translation as a political statement, it refers to the underlying policies that lead to those translations. If we peruse the Spanish versions of The New York Times, for instance, we realize that the texts are only a small fraction of what is published in the English version. The same applies to the English articles that appeared in El País. This is, of course, related to the limited resources apportioned to the translation services of these media, but the very selection of news items to be translated is also a political act. An excellent example to study the way in which ideologies influence translation practices was the simultaneous appointments of Spain's new Prime Minister and El País's new editor back in 2018. These events provide us with an excellent example of how translation can be reflective of the ideological affinity between a government and a specific news corporation (for a discussion, see Valdeón, 2020).

Introduction to the Special Issue: Translation in Political Discourse and Global Narratives

“…In the 19 th and 20 th centuries, translation continued to play a crucial role in the spread of political ideologies. Scholars who examine the intricate nexus between translation and the wielding of power, ideology, and manipulation in political discourse suggest that translation is a dynamic and strategic activity where linguistic choice holds the power to shape, distort or reveal (Schäffner, 1997(Schäffner, , 2004(Schäffner, , 2012(Schäffner, , 2018Baumgarten & Cornellà-Detrell, 2018;Valdeón & Calafat, 2020). A growing interest among translation scholars has prompted an examination of how political agents strategically employ translation as a tool of manipulation (Baker 2006;Salama-Carr 2007) and how political translators entwined with various theoretical frameworks advocate a plethora of causes, ranging from abolitionism, women's rights, and labour rights, anti-colonialism, to environmentalism.…”

The US-China battle over Coronavirus in the news media: Metaphor transfer as a representation of stance mediation

“…Although GT is a Chinese state-run news agency, whereas NYT is an American private company, both face similar (intermittent) censorship in the target culture due to an ‘ideological affinity’ to the party (Valdeón and Calafat, 2020). 1 They take a sharp tone in opinion articles and regard the Coronavirus pandemic as a political instrument.…”