1.2 Research Design
This paper plans to select the news discourse reprinted from English media and newspapers in the 6th page of the Global Times from the period between September, 2011 and November, 2011 as the subject for analysis, and ultimately unveil the role of ideology and cultural implications in the subject by comparing and analyzing the processing of English reports done by editors and translators from the view of journalism and communication.
As English reports make up of the majority of all reprinted discourse, the analysis and research on it can be significantly helpful to understanding the view of the Global Times to the international environment that China is currently faced with, thus further exploring the root of this kind of phenomenon and its relations to relevant theories.
2 Previous Studies
2.1 Previous Studies from the Perspective of Translation Theories
Traditional studies on this subject mainly lie in translation theories. According to some scholars, translation deviation can find its basis in cultural, philosophical and empirical fields. (Zhao Xiaobing, 2007) Firstly, due to the differences in the cognitive processes of inpiduals, people tend to view the same subject in distinct angles. If this phenomenon happens between the translator and the original author, then translation deviations are likely to occur, for the ways in which they view the world are persified. Translation deviations are often shown in sentence structures, rhetoric, diction and style of writing. (Yang Quanhong, 2003) Secondly, translators are usually inclined to modify the original text in order to fit it better into the cultural context of the target language, which is also called “translation tolerance”. (Su Rongjiang, 2009) Thirdly, from a general point of view, it is somewhat impossible for translated texts to be completely accurate, due to both the cultural distinctions and the limited abilities of translators, making translation deviations inevitable from the cognitive view. Translators can never fully illustrate the original text. (Lu Caihong, 2006) The only effort they are able to do is to narrow the gap between the original text and the translated text.
The deviations can also be classified into two categories: the absolute deviation and the intentional deviation. (Lu Caihong, 2010) The former exists in any translated works, and possess inevitability from philosophical and cultural perspectives, but without causing any misunderstandings. The latter usually happens in the “restructuring” sector, which tends to be caused by ideologies, serving the readers as well as the culture and society of the target language. It also deviates the styles, emotions and values in the original text to some extent. However, it does not prevent the process of reading from going smoothly.
2.2 Previous Studies from the Perspective of the Framing Theory
Despite the study of translation deviation in terms of translation theories, it is also considered to be accurate and specific if taking relevant theories in the field of journalism and communication into consideration. According to the Framing Theory widely known in the field of journalism and communication studies, the mass media possess the function of framing social reality, thus influencing the subjective vision that people hold to social reality. (Deng Weijia, 2008) By choosing , abandoning and processing all kinds of information, the mass media makes some facts prominent among all facts, therefore affecting people’s view on the significance of certain issues.
The Framing Theory implies that it is understandable and necessary for journalists or writers to process information in some ways in order to decrease the complexity and uncertainty of the information, which is obviously different from making up stories or deceiving the audience. On the other hand, it’s also common for tendencies to occur in reports and dispatches, as long as the objectivity of facts is not violated. 《环球时报》在英文报道翻译中的翻译偏差研究(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_2161.html