The Politicisation of the Translation of Media-Mediated Political Texts
The Politicisation of the Translation of Media-Mediated Political Texts

Summary/Abstract: In an increasingly globalised world where politics holds a crucial role, political texts, whether oral or written, used for political communication, are not confined to one language or culture alone, but transmitted and shared world-wide. In a politicised world, the translation of such texts requires expertise, and it is the aim of this study to evidence the variables that influence the translator’s competence in a world where the translation practices change permanently. The study is indebted to research in the area of translation and politics conducted by Schäffner (2007), Hatim and Mason (1997), Gambier (2006), Fetzler and Lauerbach (2007), and Bani (2006). The translation of political texts appears to be extremely difficult, given the complexity of the discourse types that make them up, the number of producers (actors) and the multiple aspects involved. The study examines these aspects and additional challenges that arise from the peculiarity of the medium used for the transmission of these texts: the media, and the culture-determined aspects of the discourse. Finally, the study also discusses different political pressures exerted on the translator which result in the adoption of such methods as: ‘foreignisation’, ‘internationalisation’, or rather, ‘deculturalisation’ as transediting processes that translators of such texts are prone to.

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