Translating Political Discourse King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein's Papers

Abstract

When researchers discuss the translation of political discourse they usually refer to the ideology of the translators in its negative meaning. This is because the term ideology as a concept involves manipulation of the original message to affect the intended readers. However, in translating the Discussion Papers of King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein the main concentration is on the function and the purpose of the translation. The Discussion Papers have the determination of telling the world that Jordan is willing to change into a democratic country. Translators in their process of translating tend to change, delete, tone down, substitute, and add what suits the purpose and the function of the translation. In addition, translators produce texts that suit the target readers' language. To pursue this aim several examples are chosen from the Discussion Papers of Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein. This thesis examines two major issues. First, it examines the translation of the political messages. Second, it examines the translation strategies used in translating religious references, metaphors and the term democracy and its collocations. By incorporating a critical discourse analysis, the Source Text (ST) and the Target Text (TT) are compared to determine the micro-translation strategies opted for by the translators. It is concluded that despite the multiplicity of translation strategies opted for in the translation, the concentration is to produce texts that serve the purpose and the function of the Source Text and to produce a Target Text that matches the linguistic norms of the TT readers' language. Furthermore, Skopos Theory is valid for translating political discourse.