Deconstructing, Translating, Ideology and Power -- transforming or Manipulating

Extracted text from Deconstructing_Translating__Ideology_and_Power_.pptx:

DECONSTRUCTING TRANSLATING, IDEOLOGY AND POWER – Transforming or Manipulating

By Jeremiah Chung(jeremiah_chung@hotmail.com) DMin student, Gordon –Conwell Theological Seminary SIL(East Asia) For Nida School 23rd May 2011

Introduction In any kind of translation/communication, the ideology of content and ideology of process coexist. There is no ideologically neutral message. (Lefevere 2004:39, Arduini in Noss 2007:189)

What-Why → How-Why

Process and product influence each other

The process of translating can be very different, depending on what and why should we translate. At the same time the process can affect the outcome of the content, translators, receivers , feedback to the authors.

Human Being or Human Becoming ‘To be or not to be?’ is not an important question as: Communicate or not communicate for translator It’s more important to consider ‘To become (or not to become )-- what, who, whom and in what context To become = transformation/manipulation Not to become = resistance

Change of Translators’ role It used to be the translator who determined both what was to be translated as well as the process for rendering the translation in interlingual communication. (Yan 2007)[cf. Nord’s Translation brief] In post-modern context -- decision makers shift to others – social, cultural, political Non-expert or laity can and should engage in translation in order to transform and be transformed purposefully in order to get Multiple-win(politically and economically) outcomes

Deconstruct Power Ideology and knowledge is Power Translation is a tool of power Institution is a tool of power

Who has this power and tool?

How about? An institute of research and academic for Bible Translation combining scholar from all over the world in the fields about ideology and translation A two weeks school with relatively low cost, besides a beach of Mediterranean sea with lots of red wine lunch, top notch scholars, …

Conspiracy Theory?

Deconstruction of Bible Translation Institute Deconstruct Bible - Ideology Deconstruct Translation Deconstruct Institution

Translators’ Power and Ethics

Institutionalizing of professional authority is a way of gaining power

How can a translator be an ethical deliverer of ideologies and exercise power appropriately? How do scholar in translation studies define the terminologies and relationship between power(colony and empire) and translation? Within what boundary they can exercise this power? Where are their power come from?

Where is the power from Abilities to define terminology of power by translating and working on the lexicon are powers. Translator and lexicographer can alter the ownership and way of the operation power Define the translation theory and its application

Translators Exercise power under other powers How to communicate/translate highly ideological (esp. political) charged message? Make a cost-effective and risk evaluation for communication Communication is a power, exercising power is an investment Invest with a purpose Pay the cost, but by whom? Political Brief?

Power turn Since individual response to a new ideology is

indeterminate, the social or corporal acceptance of the ideologies is even beyond our prediction. With the economic impact, the motivation of translation can also shift from being ideologydriven to market-driven: i.e. show me the money, the result or both Ownership of the translation project shift away from the traditional single translator Risk in the process because of Indeterminacy

Power vs Visibility and Voice Power of visibility and voice of translator– Signature carry my presence in my absence(Rafael quote from Derrida??) If signature carry translator’s presence, that mean the signature or explicit revealing translator’s identity is power.

Power of Translation: accelerating Effective Translation can accelerate the tragedies

of spreading harmful ideologies or global welfare by spreading good news and knowledge Translation allow cultural interchange and allow contest of ideologies in order to allow merging of ideologies, creating conflict in the process and result with co-existence(harmony) or let the fitter to survive(tragedy) Ideology may not take advantage of the acceleration if the ideology has no value from the receivers, but it will acceleration its collapse

!!Concern

Power come with responsibilities Institution and NGO should be aware of handling power with care How volunteer and freelance translating participants balance their right and duty?

Ethical accountability Who should define the accountability? What is liability ? How? To whom? ◼ Ethical responsibility to make a different ideology

available to the target language community ◼ Balance of loyalty: causing disturbance and making peace Ethical Brief?

Translator’s identities crisis Power depends on translator’s identity and

credibility Instability of the identities and credibility of translator -- Translator affecting ideologies and being affected Translator is a betrayer: ◼ translators definitely betray themselves, as they put

themselves in a risk of being changed in the process Translation as the journey of translators

seeking for purposes and identities Personal Brief?

Deconstruct the Bible – illogical power Bible <> Christianity

Christianity <> Missionary Missionary<>Colonial/Imperial

Bible is a valuable document/literature: A rather unique Ideology behind – The power of almighty become powerless The Innocent one died for the sinners Grace and forgiveness Have been translated in many languages across large

temporal span – good resources for translation studies

Paradox and continuum of Polemic Ideologies Paradox – Bible can coexist with other ideology, the

message is urging but not forcing

Reflection by Church and Bible Translation Organization

Diversity of Theology and Christianity with Unity

Making Bible the only literature Other literatures/ideology be translated – truth

can prove itself Uniqueness of Bible for Translation and other studies

Demythologization of Postcolonial Christianity Bible Translation associated with missionaries, then colonialism Top-down power movement(Henri Nouwen, Here and Now)

!!Concern

Move from apologetics to apology Post-protestant reflection – What were

protestants protesting for? Deconstruction nature of protest – 5 sola

1 Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone") 2 Sola fide ("by faith alone") 3 Sola gratia ("by grace alone") 4 Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone") 5 Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

Value of Bible Translation: cost/effectiveness Value defined by input or output Face value or market value Return – dividends Value to whom – Ivory throne? Glory to whom ◼ God got all the profit, just leave the commission to me.

Define ownership and different roles in Bible Translation Team Self-sustainability Ethics of Bible Translation

Civil disobedience – individual/social Clearance of Ethical Practice Notification of potential consequences The power structure of Bible Translation

Agency

Fidelity of the Translator Consistency between translators and the message that being translated ‘I don’t have problem with Jesus, but His followers.’

Deconstruct the Translation – translation with a mission

Translation is certainly a weapon – Bible is also a weapon God’s word is a sword of two blades

Post-missionary to Pan-missionary Translation with a purpose – ideological neutral and

compatible with ideological approach translation From power of prescriptive to descriptive

Concern: Translation accountability Translation Brief revisit Effectiveness of Bible Translation – shorter cycle

Process – star with prescriptive, work on descriptive Translation in both directions

 Translator can allow voice to different power –

the multilingual discipline and allow multidiscipline voice Uniqueness of meta-disciplines: languages, linguistics, translation studies, communication, philosophy, etc. define the structure and relationship of the disciplines Decision of lingual franca within discipline Weaponizing Translation -- Manipulation or Transformation depends on the value

Ideology of Content – What and Why Who and how to make the decisions of what and why Limitation – bound by time, space and experience Pendulum between polemic ideologies over time Content of ideology for global good

Insight from Indeterminacy and Deconstruction Realize our limitation of understand absolute

truth and be practically approaching here and now with the proximal truth Input from laity perspective, and users perspective Cf. conruptted or lost orignal text

Post-missionary to panmissionary translation

It’s valuable to get more people involved in inter-cultural communication Redefine mission as purpose and de-associate

away from imperialism, colonialism Define principle and parameters for translation brief Recycling translation brief with translation debrief-- Modifying existing consultant report as debrief and to modify translation brief Providing interlinearized translation as the basis for accountability, research and pedagogical purpose

Translation -- give, but also take One working on Bible Translation may understand Bible better than some pastor/preacher Personally I have been learning a lot by working on Bible Translation work

Translation as Education Ideology independent Relevant skill and knowledge developed Economical: Low cost education, increase

employment rate and simple infra-structure Provide life-long adult education opportunity

Translation as education fit well with Jane Vella’s 12 principle in adult education or transforming each-others

1. Needs Assessment: The First Step in Dialogue

Cf. Translation Brief with Transformation Brief

2. Safety: Creating a Safe Environment for Learning (Starting from mother tongue/first language)

Cf. Trust – First motion of 4 motions of hermeneutics

3. Sound Relationships: The Power of Friendship and Respect

4. Sequence and Reinforcement: Knowing Where and How to Begin (Start with prescriptive methods and building confidence to get something done.)

5. Action with Reflection: learn from feedback/descriptive What have we done right? What have we done wrong? How could we do differently if we do it again?

6. Learners as Subjects of Their Own Learning (Here all are learners)

7. Learning with Ideas, Feelings, and Actions cf. Cognitive science and learning style

8. Immediacy: Teaching What is Really Useful (When people are translating something as requested, it has probably already been determined to be useful and valuable.) cf. Skopos theory

9. Assuming New Roles for Dialogue: The Death of the “Professor” Empower the learner and encourage participation Building the esteem of the powerless Professor taking a new role as facilitator and friends rather than absolute prescriptive authority

10. Teamwork: How People Learn Together (One cannot translate something for oneself. There must be a team in this sense. Team translation is a trend.)

11. Engagement: Learning as an Active Process

12. Accountability: Success is in the Eyes of the Learner

Bible Translation Training outcome ◼ “The outcomes of the Bible Translation & Scripture Use training

movement are to have at least a team of individuals for every language group able to: ◼ 1. produce and revise a quality translation of God’s Word in their heart language ◼ 2. be consistent in their life with their words and what has been faithfully translated ◼ 3. train and equip each generation to be a better team doing the same and ensuring passing on and refining items such as Vision, Attitude, Skill and Knowledge (ASK). ◼ 4. further develop and improve the ASK for better value (know why), Methodology (know how - plan and implement) aiming for the best quality product with naturalness, accuracy, communicability, acceptability and usability to a wide audience. ◼ 5. share the Vision and ASK within the language group and with other language communities who are in need of their own translation ◼ 6. be good stewards, making good use of resources and advanced technologies.”(Chung 2008: 2)

Deconstruct the Institute –

West and non-west ◼ An institute in Italy – the origin of the western culture

Institute empower individual ◼ Expert to non-expert ◼ Translation as education

Bridging the gap – Multi-cultural, multilingual, Chinese Diaspora Christian laity ◼ West and non-west can coexist ◼ Expert and non-expert can coexist

??Concern

Competence, training and qualification Training Brief? Reconstruct of the source text? How important? Understand the target language and culure? Translation and communication Theories? Understand the people? How good and how much is enough？ Never Enough, we need to be a life long learner. Why don’t start with laity?

Institutional Integrity vs Individual Academic Autonomy

Lingual Franca Using Lingual Franca of the country but not English to avoid colonial/imperial outlook Why do Asians need to speak English in order to engage in Bible Translation? How can we discuss English-Asian translations with European? Or English European translations with Asian?

Engaging Diaspora ◼ Diaspora already multi-cutlural/multi-lingual ◼ Some of them are resourceful to help other

Post-colonial Reflection Forgiven rather than hostile and cynical Colonized avoid being colonizer

Engaging Laity Equip the non-expert Build up the esteem

Conclusion Thickness/Tolerance of Ideology and

Translation Methodology(K.A. Apiah) It’s worth to pursue: Engage the Chinese Diaspora Christians Laity in Translation as transformation and education 读对贤书，所为何事？ 修身、齐家、治国、平天下

End of this Power-Point Mahatma Gandhi had no power; Martin Luther King had relatively power; Martin Luther had relatively low power; Jesus Christ became powerless, but they had points.

Advertisement Buy One Get Two three: Little known article by Jeremiah Chung:

Pattern and Value of BT in postcolonial context, BT2009,

Dallas Proposal and Training goal for Bible Translation, Word and Deed,(SIL In house publication, 2008

As a little tiny Asian student who not even able to speak English correctly; I don’t have power, but hopefully I have points.

The End Thank you