A cultural studies approach to semantic instability: The case of news translation

Authors

  • Kyle Conway Department of English University of North Dakota

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v7i.207

Keywords:

Canada, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, circuit model of culture, constitutional debates, “distinct society”, essen- tially contested concepts, Meech Lake accord, news translation, semantic instability, Québec

Abstract

This article explores news translation and the semantic instability of politi-cally charged words and their translations. Such pairs are linked in a pa-radoxical relationship of dependence (one is a translation of the other) and independence (they have evolved and continue to evolve within different conceptual horizons). This paper describes a methodology for addressing this phenomenon by considering such pairs as examples of ‘essentially contested concepts’ (Gallie 1956). This methodology derives from a circuit model of culture, and it provides translation studies scholars with tools to describe the dynamic, historically conditioned relationships linking politi-cally charged words, their translations, and their contested, frequently contradictory meanings.

Downloads

Published

25-10-2021

How to Cite

Conway, K. (2021). A cultural studies approach to semantic instability: The case of news translation. Linguistica Antverpiensia, New Series – Themes in Translation Studies, 7. https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v7i.207