Translation and culture in mainstream media and journalism

Abstract

This chapter examines the importance of translation in global mass media networks and products, paying particular attention to the sub-area known as screen translation or audiovisual translation on the one hand, and to the practice known as journalistic translation on the other. It focuses on the cultural and pragma-linguistic aspects of translation, as they serve to introduce, manipulate and present texts that shape both the source and target cultures, albeit in different ways and, often, for different purposes. The ideological manipulations imposed by censors in other cultures have received scholarly attention, although the focus tends to be on high rather than mainstream culture. A special issue of the journal Language and Intercultural Communication, published in 2005, covered the specifics of news translation in a global context. As several film scholars have become interested in aspect, Michael Cronin emphasises that translation scholars are poised to provide relevant insights into the ideological and cultural value of language in media products.