Pages in topic: < [1 2] | How Should One Translate When The Original Is Sexist? Thread poster: Barbara Cochran, MFA
| Sexist in, sexist out | Jun 1, 2007 |
I try to stick as close as possible to the original meaning. If that meaning is politically incorrect, then so is its translation. I leave it to the reader to sort out how to react to the message. Also consider that you don't always know the purpose of the translation. If I were that professor, I would use the example to illustrate exactly that point. Suppose the ad is to be used in a marketing class about culturally appropriate advertising? Or a dissertation about the progress of f... See more I try to stick as close as possible to the original meaning. If that meaning is politically incorrect, then so is its translation. I leave it to the reader to sort out how to react to the message. Also consider that you don't always know the purpose of the translation. If I were that professor, I would use the example to illustrate exactly that point. Suppose the ad is to be used in a marketing class about culturally appropriate advertising? Or a dissertation about the progress of feminism or lack thereof? ▲ Collapse | | | Robert Xiao United States Local time: 16:12 English to Chinese + ... Who defines sexist? | Jul 8, 2007 |
femme wrote: When I was involved in translator training as a student, the professor gave us an advertisement for one of the big Asian airlines to translate from Spanish. There was a picture of a Geisha girl (even that is sexist but that is how they are commonly referred to). The initial sentence in the ad stated "There are many reasons you should fly with X Airlines." Next to the smiling woman was the sentence "Esta es una." Now if you translate it literally you get, "This is one," like she is waiting for the travelling businessman, far away from his family. She isn't even given the status of a person-she is a "reason." My professor, who was definitely a feminist, said it would be sexist to translate it literarlly and should be translated differently. I said it should be translated in a sexist manner because that was the intended meaning, even though I might not agree with it. Who do you think was right-me or my professor? Could it be that you misread the intent of the sentence? Is the smiling Geisha holding a cup of green tea? I think you are injecting too much of your own moral judgement into your work, based on your comment that "even [Geisha] is sexist". The world is a diverse place, Koreans eat dogs which are our friends. We eat cows that are sacred in India. What is sexist to you, is not in many parts of the world. I guess you won't be taking assignments form Hooters when they go international.... | | | Fabio Descalzi Uruguay Local time: 20:12 Member (2004) German to Spanish + ... An anecdote for this context | Jul 8, 2007 |
Hi people This interesting thread about sexism and language started out with an example of, say, "discrimination". And it had to do with Spanish. OK - let's talk a little bit about Spanish and sexism, but "the other way round" = a written style, not quite formal, but sometimes in use to cover "both sexes as equals". Here I copy and paste as an example a text taken from a Spanish trade union webpage: - El poder se ejerce en EEEEE, como en cualquier otra empresa, ... See more Hi people This interesting thread about sexism and language started out with an example of, say, "discrimination". And it had to do with Spanish. OK - let's talk a little bit about Spanish and sexism, but "the other way round" = a written style, not quite formal, but sometimes in use to cover "both sexes as equals". Here I copy and paste as an example a text taken from a Spanish trade union webpage: - El poder se ejerce en EEEEE, como en cualquier otra empresa, dividiendo a l@s trabajador@s en diferentes colectivos (soci@s trabajador@s, aspirantes a soci@s, eventuales, trabajador@s por cuenta ajena), teniendo l@s soci@s importantes derechos que aquell@s, que están en un nivel inferior de la jerarquía, no comparten. - No hay posibilidad de recurrir para la trabajadora / el trabajador no soci@ en caso de decisiones arbitrarias de sus superiores. En la empresa, hay un importante numero de eventuales con nulas posibilidades de defenderse ante arbitrariedades cometidas por jefes de grupo, responsables, encargad@s, etc. - Debido a que l@s trabajador@s cotizan a la seguridad social privada de las cooperativas LLLLLLL, l@s "aspirantes a soci@" carecen de derecho a paro, y, si no son aceptad@s, se quedan sin ningún tipo de ingreso, perdiendo además los derechos derivados de sus contribuciones a LLLLLLL - En cuanto a l@s soci@s, se observan dos fenómenos interesantes: se acepta la auto-explotación por identificación con la empresa y se asumen sacrificios salariales en épocas de crisis. Además, observamos una tendencia a la pérdida de conciencia de clase: El cobro de importantes cantidades (intereses) en una época de bonanza económica larga y la acumulación de un importante capital, produce una pérdida de los valores tradicionales de l@s trabajador@s. Esta pérdida de valores se ha notado ya en varias huelgas con fines generales, como la iniciada por las 35 horas, en las que muchos de los centros de EEEEEEE decidieron, por voto mayoritario de l@s soci@s, no participar en la lucha por una mejora global de la situación laboral. Wherever you read an @ it is meant to replace o/a in the more formal, usual writing. For instance, the first sentence would be usually written like this: El poder se ejerce en EEEEE, como en cualquier otra empresa, dividiendo a los/as trabajadores/as en diferentes colectivos (socios/as trabajadores/as, aspirantes a socios/as, eventuales, trabajadores/as por cuenta ajena), teniendo los/as socios/as importantes derechos que aquellos/as, que están en un nivel inferior en la jerarquía, no comparten. Of course, to read aloud any of both texts it takes "more time than to read it with your eyes". But in any case, you see: my mother tongue has found a way of (albeit graphically) satisfying both sexes... and even allow for different readings! (NOTE: you may visualize the texts with the @ as hypertexts, but this is just an informatic bug, ignore the hypertexts).
[Edited at 2007-07-08 11:50] ▲ Collapse | | | technospeak (X) Local time: 01:12 English to French You should do your job. | Aug 20, 2007 |
You are a translator and you are supposed to translate what is meant by the author. That is as simple as that. Of course you are not forced to accept any job and can refuse if you think the ideas expressed are contrary to your opinions. Chris technospeak.com | |
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Jordan Duff Japan Local time: 08:12 Japanese to English + ... What on earth...? | Sep 7, 2007 |
I haven't seen the advertisement, but it doesn't seem to be portraying the Geisha as a sex symbol. Did you think that it could be referring to the fact that that particular airline allows you to go to foreign countries (like Japan) and see things you've never seen before (like Geishas)? Secondly, you either take the job or don't. It really isn't up to you whether the intent of the person or company who originally created the advertisement ought to be altered. | | | Less Than A Person | Sep 7, 2007 |
But when they say "this is one of the reasons," the "this" and "reasons" makes her less than human, like she is designated by those 2 terms because she is a woman. I think it would be just as demeaning to a man if he were referred to as "this" or a "reason." Oh, well-like some of you said, I have the option to turn down such work. Hopefully, it wouldn't be an assignment longer than an advertisement! | | | Jordan Duff Japan Local time: 08:12 Japanese to English + ... I see what you mean | Sep 9, 2007 |
haha...ya thats true about your point at the end : ) but i still think this ad is referring to a symbol of japan.... but thats open to debate i guess : ) interesting point none the less...i can see this becoming a bigger issue if you are translating scholarly essays and whatnot. would you translate something (for a payment or otherwise) if it went against what you believed in? | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » How Should One Translate When The Original Is Sexist? TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
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