Abstract
Discourse analysis, as a rigorous line of research which strives to unearth the reciprocal relationship between language and the context in which it is used, is an important approach to translation (Vasheghani Farahani, 2013). Despite the efforts made to produce materials and with some notable exceptions such as Munday and Zhang (2017), Venuti (2018), Adab et al. (2012), there has been a dearth of manuscripts in this strand of research. Therefore, the current volume under the editorship of Wang and Munday is a collective effort to close this currently visible and long-felt gap by perceptively outlining a dynamic relationship between translation and discourse.
Comprising of four parts, further split into 11 units revolving around thematically synthetized topics, it becomes immediately conspicuous, at the first impression, that the editors of this trailblazing book come to provide novel insights on the salient role of discourse analysis and translation research on an international scale. The scholars of this volume cover a wide range of topics running the gamut of translation, interpretation, and discourse analysis.
It is axiomatic that the critical nexus between ideology and translation plays a significant role in shaping the social systems of societies (Aksoy, 2010). In the same vein, it has now been an accepted idea that no longer are translators neutral mediators; rather they are cultural, social, and political mediators who can exert their power in translation and interpretation (Inghilleri, 2003). In this regard, among the various facets of the pivotal role of discourse analysis is the ideology in the discourses of translation and interpreting (Valerio, 2013). Evincing the importance of the overriding role of ideology in discourse of translation and interpretation, Part one of this praiseworthy volume which includes four units, centers on the ideology and translation, an ever contentious and under-explored issue in translation and interpreting research (Bielsa, 2009). As a matter of fact, the authors of the first part consider such issues as representation of political discourse (chapter 1), manipulation of discourse construction (chapter 2), corpus-based critical analysis of governments’ interpreters (chapter 3), and narration of military discourse (chapter 4). By reading the first part of the book, the readers become more cognizant of the interplay of ideology, discourse, and translation.
Part two of the book is a full-fledged effort to intermingle linguistic analysis with sociocultural interpretation. Thematically, it consists of two absorbing chapters, one of which, chapter 5, underpins the function of ‘we’ in translation of Chinese government reports and the other, chapter 6, unpacks critical discourse analysis of interpretations in press conferences. The former study by Yu and Wu utilizes a corpus-based methodology, finds out that the usage of the pronoun ‘we’ in English is far more than that of the Chinese original language. The latter chapter, by Li and Zhang, takes a focused look on press conference interpretation. As a starting point, the researchers propose that although media plays a significant role in national policies, the role of interpreters has not received enough attention in academia, especially in relation to neutrality. By deploying qualitative and quantitative analysis the author concludes that ‘the interpreter’s gatekeeping practices are motivated by his ideological alignment with the Chinese government’ (p. 124).
As an emerging theme, news translation with a designated focus on political genre comes to offer new perspectives for translation scholars mainly due to the critical nexus existing between politics, language, and media (Schäffner, 2012). Drawing on this relationship, the third unit of this intriguing book is dedicated to the discourse analysis of the news translation in Chinese. The three case studies consolidated in the third unit underpin media translation and political speech as well news translation. As a case in point, applying appraisal theory in news discourse, Pan and Huang, in chapter 7, fleshes out how the Chinese president’s speech has been altered in press conferences when certain metaphorical images are used. Another study conducted by Ping, chapter 8, demonstrates conclusively how Hong Kong demonstrations are portrayed in English Chinese newspapers and between translated and untranslated corpora. The results indicated ‘a few significant evaluative shifts between the translated and untranslated news discourses within the same media outlet’ (p. 166). The sequencing study by Qin, chapter 9, explicates aptly the way Chinese conflicts are reframed in English translation.
The last unit of this book is dedicated to the analysis of multimodal and intersemiotic discourse in translation, which consists thematically of two gripping case studies. The first research by Chen illustrates schematically the translation of public notices in Macao from multimodal perspectives including cartoon images and photographs. The results illustrated that in order to achieve the translation of public notes, texts and images are integrated and complemented. The last chapter by Manfredi probes into the representation of identity in multiethnic/multicultural tween-sitcoms and dubbed Italian version of multicultural sitcom with a designated focus on systematic functional linguistic perspective. The results demonstrated that systematic functional linguistics is a pertinent approach to analyzing identity in translation.
Part of the merit of this worthwhile and ample ground work of scholarship is the selection of synthesized topics concerning discourse analysis in translation and interpretation studies. The editors have been able to bring together topics which share, thematically, a lot in common. By the same token, the editors have been successful in concretizing their full-ledged efforts in convening a lineup of high profile and advanced researchers with neatly coherent and selective chapters. Another contribution is the confluence of three independent but interrelated topics of translation/interpretation, discourse analysis, and corpus linguistics. The application of corpora as an indispensable ingredient to translation and discourse analysis has added significantly to the depth of the analysis.
Despite its merits, one drawback is that except for one case study, this book is circumscribed to a Chinese-English context and lacks the inclusion of other languages. It could have been improved if other languages than Chinese could be investigated and integrated into the book. However, this book should encourage the rise of translation and discourse analysis for further research in less explored languages. It can trigger off new research in the realm of discourse analysis and translation/interpretation with a closed focus on political discourse and corpora.
However, it is no exaggeration to say that this remarkable volume is a good fit for the expert and advanced readers to read. With regard to the depth of the analysis and the miscellaneous nature of the methodologies utilized, this book is of no value for the novice and newcomers in such fields as discourse analysis, critical discourse analysis, and translation studies.