Algiers 2 University

Faculty Of Foreign Languages

English Department

Module ;translation Unit : 01

Topic :Translation of Political Texts
Combination: English-Arabic Semester 05
Lecturer : Miss. Abdelli

Aims of the course

This course aims at :

 Presenting the main concepts related to the field of politics and the characteristics of
political text.
 Clarifying the requirements for translating political texts
 Learning the principle and suitable techniques for translating the political texts.

What is politics?

Politics is explained (Chilton (2004) in Schaeffner and Bassnett, 2010, p2)1 as

follow

« On the one hand, politics is viewed as a struggle for power, between those
who seek to assert and maintain their power and those who seek to resist it. (…)
On the other hand, politics is viewed as cooperation, as the practices and
institutions that a society has for resolving clashes of interest over money,
influence, liberty, and the like »

The above explanation clearly suggests that politics is linked to power, and
without the later viewed as a means and an end, politics wouldn’t exist.

What is a political text?

Political text is defined as « the way of political communication, the aim of

which is to impact on the potential audience on political level .It is the text,
having the certain theme, and having the relation with policy »

1
‪ Christina Schaeffner and ‪Political Discourse, Media and Translation‬) . 2010 .(. Great
Britain: ‪Cambridge Scholars‬ .
Political texts genre

There is a wide range of political texts and genres, but the main classification
suggests that there are two main genres :1) politics that refers to talk and
conversation hold on street corners, restaurants ,houses by ordinary people about
domestic and international politics. 2) the political discourse originating in
political institutions, reported by the mainstream and alternative media
(advertising, flyers, political speech, articles, and news, informative articles)

Similarly Burkhardt (1996) Schaeffner and Bassnett 2010,pp.2-3) subdivides

the political discourse in genres( genres that are instrumental in policy-making
and thus produced by and addressed to politicians(e .g a manifesto of political
party), and genres that communicate , explain, and justify political decisions ,
produced by politicians and addressed to the general public ( e.g. a speech at an
electioneering campaign , a New year address by a Head of State)

Characteristics of political texts

 Political texts and language belong to the category of specialized text and
language.
 Political terminology is related to the language of political philosophy and
theory, diplomacy, and political ideas.
 The political texts purpose can be: persuasion, reasoning, deceit or
hustling. Each purpose requires a specific use of language.
 Political terminology fulfils one or more of the following functions:
expressive (to express political aims), objective (to exert influence on the
masses), and or symbolic (the use of political symbols).

Politics and Media

For spreading political information and policies, providing entertainment and

education for the masses, the media plays a major role. It is described as the
fourth power, for the influence it plays mainly in shaping public opinion,
behaviour and attitude.

Some critics (Robinson, 2017)claim that the media can promote and spread false
and misleading information for ex « some media outlets prioritize profits over
public service, which can lead to sensationalism and biased reporting
The means of communication are: radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and
the internet.

Political texts and translation

Translating political texts has expanded in recent years as translation plays a

major role in international policy - making and diplomacy, but also in national
policies (e.g. translating policies and political decision and speeches for
immigrants or for bilingual communities. Moreover it can acts as the tool for
propaganda, and instrument of ideological struggle.

Requirements for translating political texts

 The mastery of two languages , and the major differences between their
linguistic and structural system mainly when the language to be translated
descend from two different families such as Arabic and English ;
 Broad knowledge of the political field and terminology;
 The correct use of specific socio-political terms in the language into
which the translation is performed;
 Extensive understanding of context in which the political text is produced
and discourse analysis mechanism.
 Knowledge of preferences of the source and target audience, and political
processes in another country;
 Understanding the essence of relations between countries;
 Knowledge of the cultural traditions of a particular country ;
 Ability to analysed several aspects when dealing with political discourse,
the linguistic feature , the social-cultural and historical elements, and the
ideology

Practice

Text 01

Israeli aggression on Gaza: The West's complicit silence on genocide

 By Al Mayadeen English
 Source: Carnegie Middle East Center

Micheal Young discusses the dangers of the West's silence of Gaza's genocide
and Israeli plots to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip.

 A protester places his shoe above a sign condemning French President

Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden, and Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu as war criminals during a demonstration in solidarity with
Gaza in Amman, Jordan, on October 27, 2023. (AFP)

The West has engaged in deliberate silence on Israeli war crimes, genocide, and
plots to forcibly displace the Gaza Strip's entire population, Micheal Young a
Senior Editor at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center explained.

Young kicks off his piece by highlighting the war crimes through which "Israel"
established its so-called "state" on usurped Palestinian land. The "Israelis have
sought to undermine the accusation that their state was built on the foundations
of what is considered to be a crime against humanity," Young wrote in reference
to the 1948 Nakba where more than 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly pushed
out of their homeland by Zionist gangs.

The author drew a comparison between the historical event and recently
surfaced plans that entail the mass forced displacement of Palestinians from the
Gaza Strip toward Sinai.

As Young points out, Israeli officials have not shied away from openly
discussing these plots, framing them as measures that would ensure the safety of
civilians while "Israel" ravages their homeland.

Netanyahu and the second Nakba

According to a report published by the Financial Times, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu has attempted to push Egypt to open its borders to
Palestinian refugees. A Western official who spoke to the newspaper
downplayed the suggestion, saying it would be the case "at least during the
conflict."

Egypt has made unequivocally clear, specifically during a joint press conference
between its President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi and Germany's Chancellor Olaf
Scholz, that Cairo will not allow the Israeli conspiracy to bring an end to the
Palestinian cause.

If such a scenario were to take place, no promises can guarantee that

Palestinians, a large portion of whom are refugees in Gaza, would return to their
homes once the Israeli aggression on Gaza ends. In fact, historical and current
Israeli practices have never indicated that the occupation's expansionist
inclinations have demised.

In fact, its expansionist policy in the West Bank, where the government arms,
aids, and protects illegal settlers, as well as Netanyahu's government's insistence
to carry out unilateral action, provide enough evidence for observers to distrust
Israeli claims.

"That’s what happened in 1948, and only a fool would believe it can’t happen
again," Young emphasizes.

Plot to ethnically cleanse Gaza ready for implementation

Young also shed light on reports stemming from "Israel's" Ministry of
Intelligence, which is believed to have released a document entailing a list of
options available to deal with civilian populations in the Gaza Strip.

One of which is to "evacuate the Gazan population to Sinai" and "create a sterile
zone of several kilometers inside Egypt and not allow the population to return to
activity or residence near the Israeli border."

Although the United States has held round-the-clock briefings on "Israel's"

aggression on Gaza, it has yet failed to condemn Israeli war crimes in Gaza and
such plans that scream out ethnic cleansing.

Young refutes claims that such a document does not hold any value simply
because it has not been publicly discussed. He says that numerous governmental
policies start as ideas that go under the radar, in order to avoid bureaucratic
complexities.

Eiland's plan to save "Israel" from its existential crisis

The rise of the Resistance in the Gaza Strip, through its ability to turn theoretical
strategies and non-battle tested locally-produced weapons, into one of the most
embarrassing moments for the Israeli military, has set in stone "Israel's" need to
eliminate the Resistance.

Giora Eiland, the former head of the Israeli "National Security Council", has
recognized the graveness of the situation, stressing that "Israel" is "fighting an
existential war."

Eiland hit the nail on the head. "Israel" is indeed in grave danger, as a fascist
racist occupation has indeed spread its infrastructure of death and oppression all
over stolen Palestinian land; a material reality which Palestinians will
undoubtedly fight back against.

The former official called on the occupation "to create conditions where life in
Gaza becomes unsustainable... become a place where no human being can exist,
and I say this as a means rather than an end. I say this because there is no other
option for ensuring the security of the State of Israel."

Eiland's criminal ideas call for collective punishment, willfully causing great
suffering to body and health, destruction and appropriation of property not
justified by military necessity, and unlawful deportation, as Young explains.

"Israel" has managed to cross out all of the above in its short 75-year history. It
has also deliberately bombed hospitals, targeted schools, flattened residential
buildings, killed journalists, cut off water from the Strip, and barred the entry of
fuel in its current aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The Western elite's silence on Gaza's genocide has seen fierce opposition from
their own populations, Young stresses. Although, Young believes that Western
elites are bound to change their stance on "Israel", he does underline that in the
meantime, they will "continue to engage in a shameful conspiracy of silence."

People all over the world and in Western cities such as New York, Madrid,
London Berlin, and Paris expressed their own perspective on "Israel" and its
aggressive policies and opposed their governments' complicity.

"It is a perspective that regards Israel’s establishment as compensation for what

is perhaps the greatest crime in history, the Holocaust; that regards Israel as an
extension of the West and a reliable ally throughout the last half-century; and
that views Israel as modern, democratic, and liberal in a sea of intolerance and
backwardness."

Questions

Read the text carefully and answer the following question?

1-What is the genre of this text?

2-Does the authors seek to persuade, inform, deceive the audience into
what is he reporting? Justify your argument

3-Pick out from the text some words belonging to the general and
specialised language?

4- Give the definition of two or three political terms.

5- Has the authors used any figurative language?

6-What is the author’s point of view regarding the Israeli- Palestinian

conflict?

7-Summarise the text?

8-What do you think is the best strategy or method to translate this text?

9-Translate the paragraphs in blue into Arabic

10-Have you encountered any problems through the process of

translating the text?

11-What solutions have you opted for to solve the problems

encountered?