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Article published In: FORUM
Vol. 19:2 (2021) ► pp.105–128

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Reframing the Islamic glossary in the English translations of the Arabic editorials

MEMRI, ISIS and terrorism

 | Stellenbosch University
 | Stellenbosch University
Published online: 19 January 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.20019.hij
Abstract
This paper investigated contemporary journalistic English translations of Arabic Islamic terms and concepts in light of the current civil wars in the Middle East and North Africa, and the war on terror as well as Islamophobia and the refugee crisis. It studied the critical role of translation agencies in reframing and renegotiating the Islamic glossary through their own lens, which may be ideologically positioned. The paper further examined the English translations of the Arabic Islamic terms and concepts in the target texts which were published by the Washington-based advocacy group the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). The data were collected manually from MEMRI’s online archive from the years 2013 to 2016. The data selection was based on a designed search that linked Daesh (ISIS) and any of its aliases with any of the Islamic terms and concepts which are repeatedly used in media narratives within the context of the ‘war on terror’ and ‘Islamic extremism’. The study employed Baker, Mona. 2006. Translation and Conflict: A Narrative Account. London: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar narrative-informed theory and Newmark, Peter. 1988. A Textbook of Translation. New York: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar translation procedures taxonomy to assist in the data analysis. The findings suggested that transference (transliteration) is a significant procedure used by MEMRI in justifying, legitimizing and normalizing particular narratives to the public and that translators are decisive participants in constituting and informing the social and political reality. The findings also demonstrated that narrativity features, relationality in particular, are significant tools in reconstructing reality in translation. Through translation, MEMRI draws upon the metanarrative of the ‘war on terror’ in promoting its ideologically laden agenda of terrorist Arabs and Muslims.
Résumé
Reformulation du glossaire islamique dans les traductions anglaises des éditoriaux arabes: MEMRI, ISIS et le terrorisme
Le présent article examine les traductions journalistiques anglaises contemporaines des termes et des concepts arabes islamiques à la lumière des guerres civiles actuelles au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique du Nord, de la guerre contre le terrorisme aussi bien qu’au vu de l’islamophobie et de la crise des réfugiés. L’article étudie le rôle critique des agences de traduction dans la reformulation et la renégociation du glossaire islamique à travers leur propre perspective qui peut représenter une certaine position idéologique. Cet article a de plus évalué les traductions anglaises des termes et des concepts arabes islamiques dans des textes sources qui étaient publiés par le Groupe de défense basé à Washington, l’Institut de recherche des médias du Moyen-Orient (MEMRI). Les données ont été obtenues manuellement des archives en ligne du MEMRI entre 2013 et 2016. La sélection des données était basée sur une recherche reliant Daesh (ISIS) et ses pseudonymes avec des termes et des concepts islamiques qui sont utilisés de façon répétée dans les récits des médias dans le contexte de « guerre contre le terrorisme » et d’« extrémisme islamique ». L’étude a utilisé la théorie narrative informée de Baker, Mona. 2006. Translation and Conflict: A Narrative Account. London: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar et la taxinomie des procédures de traduction de Newmark, Peter. 1988. A Textbook of Translation. New York: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar pour permettre l’analyse des données. Les résultats ont suggéré que le transfert (translitération) est une procédure importante utilisée par MEMRI pour justifier, légitimer et normaliser certains récits auprès du public. Il a été aussi constaté que les traducteurs sont des participants déterminants pour constituer et informer la réalité sociale et politique. Les résultats ont aussi démontré que les caractéristiques de la narrativité, celle de la relationnalité en particulier, sont des outils significatifs dans la reconstruction de la réalité dans la traduction. Par la traduction, MEMRI se fonde sur les méta-narratifs de « la guerre contre le terrorisme » en promouvant son programme chargé idéologiquement concernant les Arabes et Musulmans terroristes.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Media framing as a mechanism of social and political reality construction
  • 2.Review of literature
  • 3.Research methodology
    • 3.1Data collection
    • 3.2Data analysis
  • 4.Research findings
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • References
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