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by monzo

Interpretando al jaguar: Cosmovisiones conflictivas y los derechos lingüísticos-culturales de los/as waorani de la Amazonía ecuatoriana

Christina Korak

Con la codificación constitucional de los derechos de la naturaleza en 2008, Ecuador introdujo uno de los aparatos jurídicos más avanzados en el reconocimiento de los derechos lingüísticos y culturales. La constitución ecuatoriana incluye el concepto indígena sumak kawsay (con su traducción aproximada de “buen vivir”) en 99 artículos que garantizan, entre otros, el derecho al agua y a un medio ambiente ecológicamente equilibrado. Según el artículo 16 (sección 3, capítulo 2, título 2), los pueblos indígenas tienen derecho a una “comunicación libre, intercultural, incluyente, diversa y participativa, en todos los ámbitos de la interacción social […]en su propia lengua y con sus propios símbolos” (Constitución de La República Del Ecuador 2008, p. 30). Datos cualitativos del trabajo de campo en comunidades amazónicas revelan que estos marcos legales contrastan con la realidad lingüística-cultural de los/as indígenas amazónicos waorani. Cuando dimanan de órganos estatales, la traducción e interpretación entre el español y su lengua waoterero tienen un carácter meramente decorativo. Por ende, hablar español y auto-organizar la traducción e interpretación es clave para los/as waorani para influir en las decisiones de la sociedad mayoritaria sobre su territorio. Sin embargo, esto crea complejas tensiones en cuanto a sus derechos lingüísticos y culturales, ya que interpretan entre las cosmovisiones contrapuestas del estado ecuatoriano, las empresas petroleras, las instituciones religiosas, las ONG y sus comunidades. Además, suelen ser aquellos/as waorani con un elevado estatus cultural y buenos vínculos políticos los/as que sirven de intérpretes (véase también Korak, 2015). De esta forma, traducir e interpretar conlleva múltiples juegos de poder y da lugar a jerarquías internas en las comunidades. Este escenario se agrava aún más cuando se transmiten mensajes de los/as tagaeri-taromenane, familias waorani en aislamiento que resisten al contacto. Con el ejemplo etnográfico de la interpretación de una visión chamánica, ilustraré cómo se interpretan las amenazas a la supervivencia de los/as tagaeri-taromenane a través de la figura cultural del jaguar. Además de la importancia de aplicar políticas de traducción realistas que prevean el derecho a la traducción e interpretación, planteo la intrigante cuestión de si debería existir también el derecho a no ser traducidos/as.

Referencias
​Constitución de la República del Ecuador, (2008). Offical Registry N° 449. 20 October, 2008. https://www.asambleanacional.gob.ec/sites/default/files/documents/old/constitucion_de_bolsillo.pdf


Korak, C. (2015). Indigenous Multilingualism and Translation: The Creation of Intra- and Intersocial Hierarchies in the Communities of the Waorani People of Ecuador. Tusaaji: A Translation Review, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.25071/1925-5624.40317

Palabras clave: cosmovisión, un_translated, pueblos indígenas de la Amazonía, derechos culturales y lingüísticos, Waorani.

by monzo

The translation of international law: the lexical and legal implications of the translator’s choices

Maria Meladaki

In most cases, international law conventions are drafted in one (or more) official languages, and then are translated to the official language of the state that has ratified the convention. The translated texts of international law conventions reflect the legal consequences that the states shall respect by ratifying an international legal instrument.
The present paper compares the translations, from English into Greek, of the Council of Europe convention entitled “Convention of the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine: Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine” (Oviedo Convention). One translation served for the integration of the convention into Greece’s legal order and the other served for the integration of the convention into Cyprus’s legal order.
The paper analyses the translation choices made in each of the above-mentioned translations, taking into consideration the already formed structural and terminological differences in the legal discourse of the two states. In addition, the paper indicates how terminological choices during the translation process of such documents could have a strong impact on future internal legislation on the same matter. Moreover, the paper analyses translation choices that could lead to a different meaning and therefore, to different legal consequences than the ones intended when drafting the original text. The legal translator of international law should be properly trained, in a multidisciplinary level, and given access to all crucial resources to form into the translated text the true meaning of each convention, so that all beneficiaries from it, in a global level, can have access to the international protection it entails.

Keywords: legal translation, international law, legal order, bioethics, accessibility.

by monzo

Política de traducció a la Comunitat Valenciana: 2011-2022

David ar Rouz

L’any 2011 vaig entrevistar traductors i traductores de les institucions públiques de cinc comunitats autònomes de l’Estat espanyol, entre les quals la Comunitat Valenciana, per a determinar el valor de la traducció en una Europa multilingüe (ar Rouz, 2012). Les respostes donaven una imatge de la política de traducció efectiva d’aquestes institucions amb, sobre tot, un nombre de funcionaris dedicats específicament a tasques de traducció. Amb aquesta investigació s’havia posat de manifest com aquesta política de suport a la traducció tenia com a benefici el respecte dels drets lingüístics dels ciutadans, a més d’afavorir l’economia, la coneixença, la distinció social i geopolítica, la democràcia i la pau.
Què ha passat deu anys després? S’ha mantingut la mateixa política de traducció en les institucions públiques de la Comunitat Valenciana? Com han afectat les retallades econòmiques? En aquest treball faré una comparativa de les dades inicials amb les dades actuals, en concret en aspectes com el nombre de traductors, el volum de traduccions, les eines utilitzades, l’organització dels serveis. La presentació dels resultats s’acompanyarà d’una reflexió sobre si el dret a la llengua que dona la traducció en l’àmbit institucional es tradueix en un ús efectiu, i provaré de respondre a les preguntes següents: es pot saber i mesurar què en fan els ciutadans, consulten les traduccions en valencià? La traducció institucional respon a les necessitats dels ciutadans o és sobre tot simbòlica (García de Toro, 2009)? Le Nevez (2013: 90) afirmava que caldria anar més enllà dels paradigmes del dret a la llengua o del canvi de llengua. Segons les respostes o la falta de respostes, proposarem possibles accions de millora de les polítiques de traducció.

Bibliografia:
Ar Rouz David (2012). Les enjeux de la traduction dans une Europe plurilingue. Tesi de doctorat supervisada per Jean Peeters. Lorient : Université Bretagne-Sud.
García de Tora Cristina (2009). La traducción entre lenguas en contacto: catalán y español. Berlin: Peter Lang.
Le Nevez Adam (2013). «The social practice of Breton: an epistemological challenge», en Michael Hornsby & Dick Vigers, International Journal of the Sociology of Language. Special Issue. Breton: the Postvernacular Challenge. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, 2013. p. 87-102.

Paraules clau: traducció, política de traducció, àmbit institucional.

by monzo

Identity in the context of language variety

Seda Yusupova

In the modern world the identity is one of the actual and key concepts in studying the various fields of knowledge. Identity is defined as a feeling of belonging to a certain group and community, language, social, national, political.
Object of research: influence of language variety on identity formation
Methods: cognitive, semantic, comparative, sociolinguistic analysis
Results: In conditions of language variety and processes of globalization the knowledge of several languages has an impact on formation of identity. In a bilingual society the identity is marked by other culture and language that leads sometimes to transculturation which is reflected in various ways. In some cases – in formation of boundary philosophical, cultural, social, musical, literary outlook, in others – in the marginal behavior dispersing from culture, to ignorance of traditions, customs of the nation and non-compliance of them.
In language influence on this process it is possible to allocate the following parallels: the native language (minority language) – an official language of the country, the native language, official language and foreign languages. At such scenario the level of proficiency in language closely intertwines with full formation of ethnic, all-civil identity. The perfect knowledge of two and more languages broadens horizons of the language personality and promotes formation of both ethnic, and national identity, doesn’t destroy the mentality.
Conclusion. The formation of identity within the balanced language policy forms an undistorted ethnic mentality, prevents the marginal qualities and boundary state.

Keywords: identity, idioms, semantics.

YUSUPOVA SEDA MUSAEVNA, Ph.D., Associate Professor

2001-2008 – with honors a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Linguistics at the Faculty of the English and German Languages​ of Pyatigorsk State Linguistic University. 2008-2011 – a post-graduate study at the Faculty of Foreign Languages​ and Area Studies of Lomonosov Moscow State University. 2011 – a PhD degree, topic “The semantic field “work” in phraseology (on the material of the English, German, Russian and Chechen languages)”. 

2009 – a lecturer at the Department of the Theory of Foreign Languages Teaching, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Area Studies of Lomonosov Moscow State University. 2012 – an associate professor of the Department of German Language, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Chechen State University. 2013-2019 – an associate professor of the Inter-Faculty Languages Department at Grozny State Oil Technical University. From 2019 to the present – a dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages ​of Kadyrov Chechen State University. 2015-2016, 2019 – a winner of the grant for a research internship at the Free University of Berlin (Germany). From 2015 to 2018 – a participant of the international scientific project on the topic “Cross-linguistic research into derivational networks” (P.J. Safarik University, Slovakia, Sofia University, Bulgaria, University of Granada, Spain).

Participant of more than 20 Russian and international scientific conferences: “Lomonosov” (2008-2021, Moscow), “Languages. Cultures. Translation” (2013, Thessaloniki, Greece), “Semantics and Philosophy in Europe” (2014, Berlin, Germany), EUROPHRAS (2017, London, UK). The author of more than 50 scientific works. The field of research: phraseology, comparative linguistics, sociolinguistics, semantics, corpus linguistics.

The main publications:

  1. Dictionary-Thesaurus of Idioms about Work (on the material of the English, German, Russian and Chechen languages). Publishing House “Flinta. Science”, Moscow, 2014. 80 p. 
  2. “Semantics of idioms: comparative analysis (on the material of the English, German, Russian and Chechen languages)“ //Moscow University Publishing House, Moscow, 2016. 160 p. 
  3. «Psychosocial Health, Work and Language»/ «The linguistics of work values: comparative analysis». Springer International Publishing, 2017, pp.19-35. 
  4. «Derivational networks across languages» / «Derivational networks in Chechen». De Gruyter Mouton, 2020, pp.435-442. 
by monzo

Translation and Ideology in Online Global Jihadi Activism – Pro-Jihadi Arabic Translations of DAESH Electronic English Magazine Dabiq

Mennatallah Mansy

The paper tackles the role of translation in online jihadi propaganda, which is primarily used as a means of disseminating the ideology of jihadis across the globe and recruiting new members. Translation is part and parcel of the global jihadi activism, establishing a niche in the research area covering the link between translation and ideology in contemporary conflicts. The paper investigates the re-exportation and re-construction of global jihadi radical ideas on Islam by means of translational ideologically driven interventions. The case study selected (DAESH-affiliated Dabiq Magazine, originally produced in English) is of great significance in voicing DAESH’s —the latest ferocious face of global jihad— positions and views on various events, personalities, religious sects and sharīʿa-related matters. The launching of the English magazine coincided with DAESH’s declaration of the Islamic Caliphate in 2014; thus the magazine carries substantial content loaded with DAESH ideological stances. The paper inspects an individual pro-jihadi online activist endeavor to translate and familiarize Dabiq issues into Arabic: namely AZIZ8178 blog (https://aziz8178.wordpress.com/). It attempts to answer a main research question: How does the interventionalist ideological dimension manifest in AZIZ8178 jihadi translation of Dabiq English magazine into Arabic? A descriptive qualitative study is undertaken deploying analytical tools derived from two main theoretical frameworks in translation studies: the socio-narrative theory and activist translation communities. The paper starts with an overview on global online jihadi activism and translation being part of e-jihad. Background information on the source text (Dabiq English magazine) is also given in terms of its producer, authors or editors (if any disclosed), targeted audience, themes and contents, in addition to its language and style. Then, the paper examines the interventionist translation strategies deployed by AZIZ8178 on both textual and paratextual levels, manipulating the features of the Arabic mediated narratives, compared to the narratives of the original.

Keywords: Jihadi translation, ideology, narrative, DAESH, Dabiq, online activism.

Mennatallah Mansy. MA holder (Faculty of Arts, Cairo University) and researcher in translation studies with demonstrated professional experience in translation, editing and copywriting. My main area of academic interest is the relation between translation and ideology.
My scholarly research examins jihadi and counter-jihadi translation practices in the digital space within the theoretical frameworks of activist translation communities and the socio-narrative theory.
My MA thesis explored jihadi translation communities in the digital space and the role of translation in the jihadi online propaganda. I also participated in workshops organized and led by Germany-based ZMO center (2018-2021) presenting my developing research on the use of activist translation/subtitling in cases of uncertainty as a means to spread alternative knowledge. Moreover, I participated in “NIS/MIDA Summer School 2021 Spoken images of/in Islam” from 5th to 9th of July 2021, where I made a presentation on “Narratives on Islam in Jihadist vs. Counter-Jihadist Translations.”