Babel - Volume 70, Issue 6, 2024

Abstract

The issue of media accessibility for d/Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) viewers holds particular importance in advanced societies, leading to exponential growth in research within the field of subtitling for the d/Deaf and hard of hearing (SDH). However, limited research has been conducted on media accessibility, especially SDH, resulting in a relatively brief history of SDH and its quality within Iran. This research aims to determine how non-verbal acoustic elements have been rendered in subtitle versions of films intended for DHH audiences. Five drama feature films were purposefully selected from the Filimo platform, the largest video-on-demand (VOD) service in Iran. The study reveals that various strategies were employed in the SDH versions of the films, and inconsistencies were identified in the presentation methods throughout the films. However, some strategies conforming to international SDH conventions were identified within the SDH versions of the films. The study underscores the necessity for further research in this field to enhance the professional standards for producing appropriate SDH in Iran.

Abstract

While there have been recent calls for an “outward turn” in (written) translation studies, interpreting researchers have mostly taken an inward-looking view of interpreting and investigated it as a semi-closed system and an arguably self-interested practice from within, despite the fact that interpreting in various forms and settings has been a co-constructing factor in the transfer of knowledge and also a vital shaper of history, (geo)politics, culture, religion, communication, and our human civilization. Going from “within” to “beyond,” this article conceptualizes interpreting as a consequential socio-political and historical shaping force and a source of inter/trans-disciplinary conviviality and argues for an outward turn in interpreting studies (IS). This article reviews pertinent recent studies with interdisciplinary and outward-looking features that have endeavored to answer the important “so-what” question in IS. These studies highlight the vital role and far-reaching impact of interpreting and interpreters in shaping different spheres of human communication and civilization across time and space. The article also points out directions to move IS forward from a predominantly inward-looking practice. We argue that it is high time we ventured out of our comfort zone, got off the well-trodden path, and took an outward-looking view of interpreting so that the sub-discipline can have more meaningful and mutually enriching dialogues with other disciplines and subject areas.

Abstract

Interpreting is considered no more than a technical necessity in modern times. Yet millennia ago, China-bound relay interpreting, chongyi 重譯, could symbolize auspiciousness, often foreshadowed via anomalies in plants or astrology. Its subtle ideological associations can be inferred by analyzing related tokens of usage. Drawing on texts and treatises circulated and written before seventh-century China, this article reports, from a close analysis of four texts, a rhetorical pattern on the formulaic references to chongyi. Interestingly, these texts all depict “diplomatic visits to China through chongyi” as an event validating an auspicious sign in nature spotted earlier. My analysis suggests that the documentation of chongyi bears more of a figuratively auspicious, rather than a sheer mediating, connotation. The elevation of a relay interpreting act to a cultural icon or ideological dimension is ubiquitous in the Han dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE) writings, which served to leverage the state-sanctioned Confucian and divination overtones to reinforce the emperor’s mandate. This article aims at examining the epistemology and ideology of classical references to chongyi and identifying a rhetorical pattern denoting the conceptual link between chongyi and auspiciousness in the broader Confucian framework.

Abstract

This article examines the English translations of former Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s statements on the international stage and the shifts in the first-person pronoun. Looking at interpersonal positioning through a systemic functional linguistic lens, we found that the translations underline the explicitness of agency, highlighting the variation of stylistic choices and interplay with source-text politics. The shifts come with a modified degree of willingness, a more active agency, an increase in the modality of inclination, and more force in attitude. These interpersonal overtones largely contribute to recasting the image of the Thai government to ensure its legitimacy, promote national unity, and appeal to the international community. These crafted translated texts seem to hone the leader’s public persona in front of global audiences by continuing to enhance the country’s reputation, thereby maintaining the speaker’s dignity and prestige–an essential for the national leader’s image.

Abstract

The translation and reception of contemporary Chinese literature into Portuguese have gained prominence recently but have not received much scholarly attention. This study employs Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of homology to analyze the relationship between translation and various related fields and their impact on translating Chinese contemporary literature in Brazil and Portugal from 2000 to 2022. It highlights how these fields’ interconnectedness has both facilitated and hindered translation practices. The research explores the notion of fields and homology and examines the translation production process, focusing on how the translation field interacts with its academic, educational, and political counterparts. Using the translation of contemporary Chinese literature into Portuguese as a case study, the article suggests that the structural similarity among these fields significantly affects how Chinese literature is translated and received, influencing the choice of works, translation methods, and publishing priorities. Through an extensive analysis, the study bridges Bourdieu’s homology concept with practical scenarios, enhancing the discourse in translation studies and Chinese literature, particularly in the Portuguese context.

This article reviews Translation Ethics

This article reviews Chinese Theology and Translation: The Christianity of the Jesuit Figurists and Their Christianized Yijing

This article reviews Metalanguages for Dissecting Translation Processes: Theoretical Development and Practical Applications

This article reviews Translation Competence: Theory, Research, and Practice

This article reviews Translating Myself and Others