Translation as re-narration: a case of Iran’s nuclear program as circulated in the Western and Iranian media

Abstract

Media plays a central role in regulating the flow of information and informing the public of what happens in the world, particularly in the cases where the audience does not possess direct knowledge of the truth of what is happening. As such, media (and particularly translation) is a space for various agencies to “reframe” what they believe is not (close to) the “truth,” and in this way it prevents the circulation of “un-true” ideologies in the society. The aim of the present study is to investigate, from a socionarrative perspective, how the Iranian media directed the public perception of the social and political realities about its nuclear program through reframing as it was already framed in the Western media. In so doing, a narrative account of translation and in particular the societal narrative is used to analyze the context as it emphasizes the circulation and operation of local narratives in the various units and institutions of the society. The study will further investigate, from a micro perspective, what strategies the local translators used to reframe the story. The findings reveal that the Iranian media had a very critical role in reframing the story of Iran’s nuclear program in the year 2013 (top conflicts), and that translation at the time was more of a re-narration process.