Political translation in bilingual contexts 1. Translating in bilingual/multilingual contexts 2. Thinking about the readings 3. Discussion

Translating in bilingual contexts With a partner, please discuss the following: How might translation practices/products in bilingual/multilingual countries differ from translation in other areas?

Translation in bilingual contexts After the Official Languages Act in 1969, “the government’s translating work was seen by the government itself, and by others, as part of the state’s action on society. It was a component of the bilingualization process which, among other things, sought to bring about a cultural change, that is, a change in how Canadians conceived of the country and an enhanced role for the French language in Canadian public life” (Mossop 2006: 6).

Translating in Bilingual contexts Compare the program descriptions for the translation grants provided by the Canada Council for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the European Commission. What do you notice about the eligibility requirements and program descriptions? How might the bilingual/multilingual contexts of Canada and the EU be shaping the translations produced in these areas? How does this compare to the US context?

Thinking critically about the readings Alone, take a look at Chantal Gagnon’s article: Which 3 points do you consider most relevant to the issue of translation in bilingual contexts? Now, in groups of 3-4 compare these points.

Discussion related to the readings Questions from your classmates: Is it possible for equality between languages to exist when two (or more) official languages are involved? Follow-up discussion: Translation of “Speak White” (see Mezei 1998)

Follow-up discussion questions: What do you think of Gagnon’s argument that the government’s translated speeches are not marked as such because: How would Canadians have reacted if, while reading the press on a daily basis, they had been under the impression that their prime minister had talked to them through translation? (2006: 79) Would this sentiment apply to other bilingual countries as well?

Follow-up discussion questions What do the translation shifts studied by Gagnon (on pp ) reveal about perceived Canadian attitudes toward translation? How are these attitudes affected by Canada’s official bilingualism policy?

Follow-up discussion questions Links between institutions and bilingualism: -If we consider the conclusions of Mossop, Koskinen and Gagnon, what parallels can we draw about how institutions and official language policies affect political translation processes and products? Are these effects more likely to be mostly positive or mostly negative?

References Gagnon, Chantal. (2010). When text and translation production meet: translation in the Prime Minister’s Office. In Christina Schaffner & Susan Bassnett, eds. Political Discourse, Media and translation. Cambridge: Cambrige Scholars Publishing. Gagnon, Chantal. (2006). Language plurality as power struggle, or: Translating politics in Canada. Target 18(1): Mezei, Kathy “Bilingualism and Translation in/of Michele Lalonde’s ‘Speak White’.” The Translator 4(2): Mossop, Brian. (1988). Translating Institutions: A Missing Factor in Translation Theory. TTR 1(2): Mossop, Brian. (1990). Translating institutions and “idiomatic” translation. Meta 35(2): Mossop, Brian. (2006). From Culture to Business: Federal Government Translation in Canada. The Translator 12(1): 1-28.