Translation in Society - Current Issue

Abstract

This article explores the potential of Bourdieu’s trajectory concept as an approach to microhistorical research, using the life history of Egypt’s late Minister of Culture Tharwat Okasha as a case study. The focus throughout is on Okasha’s multipositionality throughout his trajectory as a military officer and then as a military attaché in France between 1939 and 1956. Through a close reading of memoirs, translations and writings, the article investigates how he traversed different fields (the military, psychology, history and journalism) and the effect of this movement on his translation practices. In so doing, the article integrates this analysis into a sociological examination of the politics of the Free Officers, who led the 1952 coup, and argues that the relational concept of trajectory allows the reconstruction of history at the intersection between the lived experience of an individual and the network of agents engaged in the same fields.

Abstract

Taking the perspective that translation is a form of (re)narration that participates in (re)constructing social reality (Baker 2018), this article examines how translation is used as a rigorous means for mediating meaning, narrativity and cultural representation. Focusing on a case study of Amores do Céu e da Terra: Contos de Macau (2014), a Portuguese version of the original Chinese prose essay collection Youqing Tiandi (1991), this article examines the Portuguese version as “reconto” (retelling) to see how the public (collective) narratives of Macao are reframed by the translators in the target language and culture. The analysis reveals that the original narratives are reconstructed by the Portuguese translators through their agency at the contextual, textual, intertextual and paratextual levels. Such reframing has resulted in a new version that reconstructs the public narratives and cultural image of Macao for Portuguese readers.

Abstract

This study examines the roles of intercept interpreters/translators (IITs) in covert communication surveillance. Despite their increasing importance in global criminal investigations, their roles remain underexplored in academic research. Utilizing sociological theories of role taking and role making, three distinct IIT roles emerge: “distant service providers,” “deputy police officers,” and “masters of balance.” Each role reflects unique approaches influenced by professional identity and self-defined involvement in police investigations. At the same time, the research highlights the relevance of police trust in IITs. According to our study, role making functions as a negotiation between all stakeholders involved, challenging dichotomous perspectives on norms and expectations. The study advocates for a nuanced approach to IIT roles that integrates forensic-criminalistic considerations into translation practices. It also urges criminal justice authorities to rethink interpreting and translation methods by prioritizing meaningful translations that align with ethical standards and forensic principles.

Abstract

This article presents a case study of Ciocia Wienia, a collective of activists who facilitate abortion travel between Poland and Austria and provide support and interpretation in abortion clinics in Vienna. Drawing on a framework based on activist translation and motivational psychology, we investigate the factors that compel activist interpreters to join the collective and motivate their commitment to this activist work. Our study is based on a corpus of thirteen qualitative interviews with members and associates of the collective. The activists’ commitment is grounded in a range of purpose- and task-centred motivators, including their desire to respond to perceived gender-based injustice; to actively participate in society and be a member of a community of practice sharing the same pro-choice beliefs; to empower both oneself and individuals who need help; and to do good and feel satisfaction resulting from one’s work.

Abstract

In this short introduction to our translation of Erich Prunč’s Zur Konstruktion von Translationskulturen (2008a), we shed light on the scholar Erich Prunč, provide some background to the concept of “Translationskultur,” and explain some aspects of our translatorial decisions that readers will encounter in On the Construction of Translation Cultures.

Abstract

The paper by Erich Prunč introduces and develops the concept of translationskultur, a concept that captures cultural and social aspects of translation. Expanding beyond the narrow traditional views of equivalence and text oriented approaches that were dominant in translation studies when Prunč developed the concept, Prunč presents translation as a critical practice not only in mediating between languages but also as an essential act of transcultural communication.

The concept of translationskultur is theorized as a self-referential, self-regulating subsystem of culture, characterized by a set of socially established norms and behaviors shared by individuals involved in translation. Prunč emphasizes the complexity of translation cultures, which arise from the delicate compromises among all stakeholders engaged in or affected by the translation process, including translators, authors, and recipients. Translation cultures are shaped by power dynamics within the field, and factors like societal status and resource allocation contribute to the establishment of hierarchies relevant for translation practices.

By introducing this concept, Prunč moreover aims to encourage a conscientious reflection on the roles and responsibilities of translators and interpreters, their loyalties towards themselves, and advocates for more confident and self-critical agents acting towards ideals of a prototypical democratic translation culture. The paper concludes with the vision of translators and interpreters who are aware of their significant role in shaping discourses and who exercise their power with a sense of professional pride and ethical diligence.

This article reviews Translation and Contemporary Art: Transdisciplinary Encounters