Using Functional Approach in Translating Arab Spring Topics: Aljazeera and BBC Arabic as Study Cases

Abstract

Abstract-in the last two decades there was an increasing interest in the relationship between media translation and ideology. The study sample of this article is the Arab Spring that attracted the attention of various western and Arab media channels like Aljazeera and the BBC. It is reported that each channel may be inclined certain translation strategies that may not necessarily be adopted by the other channel at the same time which entails that the translation in these media outlets is not random and unbiased. Therefore, the findings of the current work will be helpful for translators that are working in such media institutions.

‘If you use the right Arabic…’: Responses to special language standardization within the BBC Arabic Service’s linguascape

“…Interlingual translation emerges as a politically-informed act of broader cultural translation, rather than a value-neutral, purely technical linguistic task (Baumann et al, 2011a;Ciuk et al, 2019;Wilmot, 2017). As Tawfiq and Ghani (2015) have shown, during the Arab Spring, different media corporations used translation strategies which reflected their own aims, perspectives and target audiences. Including the role of translation amidst the processes of corporate language standardization is therefore important in the context of this study.…”

In the Heart of the Storm: How Al Jazeera is Contributing to Changing the Gulf and the World

“…The onset of the Arab Spring occurred in 2010 in Tunisia and quickly spread to Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Syria [6]. Corruption, government brutality, nepotism, fraudulent elections, unemployment and police cruelty constituted the reasons behind the protests of a young Arab generation desirous of justice, progressive economy, citizens-oriented bureaucracy, solid institutions and liberal leadership.…”

“…This shows how the language of media poses great significance through its interface with the political discourse and its potential to represent and sculpt realities and ideas [11]. Due to its extensive coverage of critical events, proximity to conflict zones, instinct for breaking news and daring political commentary [7], the channel was perceived as the most credible source of information [6].…”

“…In the case of Qatar, a small Gulf country less prominent on the global political scene, Al Jazeera acted as a powerful representative of the country which became an international media player by surpassing the region's restrictive tradition and defining itself as a promoter of press freedom and democratization [5][6][7]. The reforms implemented by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani materialized at different levels, inaugurating an original path for Qatar in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) context.…”

“…By embracing the practices of networked journalism, Al Jazeera became closer to its audience as it invites the public to contribute to the news via comments on the website, blogs, Twitter and Facebook outlets and their own videos and photos and SMS messages [9]. Moreover, its bond with the Arab public has been strengthened through the utilization of the Standard Modern Arabic (Fusha) instead of colloquial Arabic, thus engaging with a wider Arab audience [2,6]. The contemporary hybrid media environment gave birth to a dynamic sphere where the faster access to Internet, the alternative media, the intensified social media usage and networked journalism engage the Arab audiences in dialogue on multiple levels [7].…”