Abstracts
Abstract
This paper explores the manipulation of translation for propagandistic purposes in the Gulf crisis, which has led to the economic blockade of Qatar since June 2017. It focuses on Al-Ittihad, an Arabic daily newspaper owned by the United Arab Emirates. The data under analysis is extracted from a hard news daily section that Al-Ittihad has dedicated to Qatar since the outbreak of the crisis. Combining Narrative Theory with the Appraisal Framework provides an insightful account of the ideologically motivated manipulation and weaponization of news translation. Going beyond the reductive claim of domestication in News translation studies, this dual theoretical approach allows for further articulation of the socio-political context with translation strategies, by combining macro- and micro-analysis. This approach also uncovers the workings of propaganda in Al-Ittihad’s translational news reporting. From the transediting of foreign attributions to the intersemiotic design of the newspaper’s layout, translational news reporting involves embedding personal and shared narratives into the micro- and macro-levels of the hard news section to construe a negative evaluation of Qatar. Behind a façade of detachment and neutrality, hard news reports and the translation on which they rely feed into the propagandistic discourse of hawkish parties.
Keywords:
- manipulation,
- translation,
- narrative theory,
- appraisal approach,
- Gulf crisis
Résumé
Cet article explore la manipulation de la traduction à des fins de propagande dans la crise du Golfe qui a conduit à l’embargo économique sur le Qatar depuis juin 2017. Il se concentre sur Al-Ittihad, un quotidien en langue arabe, détenu par les Émirats arabes unis. Les données proviennent de la section d’actualités hard news consacrée quotidiennement au Qatar depuis le début de la crise. Combinant la théorie des récits et l’approche de l’évaluation (AppraisalFramework), il apporte des éclairages sur l’usage de la traduction journalistique comme une arme idéologique. Dépassant l’argument réducteur de la « domestication », cette double approche théorique permet de mieux articuler contexte sociopolitique et stratégies de traduction, en rapprochant les niveaux micro et macro d’analyse, et de dévoiler les rouages de la propagande dans l’actualité traductionnelle d’Al-Ittihad. De la transédition des attributions à des sources étrangères à la conception intersémiotique de la mise en page du journal, l’approche traductionnelle des nouvelles incruste des récits personnels et collectifs aux niveaux micro et macro de la section d’actualité sur le Qatar et en construit une évaluation négative. Derrière une façade de détachement et de neutralité, les actualités hard news et la traduction dont elles dépendent alimentent le discours de propagande des va-t-en-guerre.
Mots-clés :
- manipulation,
- traduction,
- théorie des récits,
- approche de l’évaluation,
- crise du Golfe
Resumen
Este artículo estudia la manipulación de la traducción con fines propagandísticos en la crisis del Golfo que ha conducido al embargo económico contra Catar desde junio de 2017. Se centra en Al-Ittihad, un diario en lengua árabe que poseen los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Los datos provienen de la sección de noticias serias (hard news) dedicada a diario a Catar desde el principio de la crisis. Al combinar la teoría de las narrativas con la de la valoración, arroja luz sobre el uso de la traducción periodística como arma ideológica. Yendo más allá del argumento reductor de la domesticación, este doble enfoque teórico permite articular mejor el contexto sociopolítico con las estrategias de traducción al aproximar los niveles micro y macro de análisis y así desvelar los engranajes de la propaganda en la manera de traducir las noticias en Al-Ittihad. Desde la transedición de las atribuciones a fuentes extranjeras hasta la concepción intersemiótica del diseño gráfico del diario, la manera de traducir las noticias incrusta narrativas personales y colectivas en los niveles micro y macro de la sección de noticias sobre Catar, construyendo una evaluación negativa del país. Tras una fachada de desapasionamiento y de neutralidad, el discurso propagandístico de los belicistas se ve alimentado por las noticias serias y la traducción sobre las que se construyen.
Palabras clave:
- manipulación,
- traducción,
- teoría de las narrativas,
- teoría de la valoración,
- crisis del Golfo
Appendices
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