Ideology in translation: a comparative analysis of two Chinese translations of Kishore Mahbubani's has China won?

• Main Author: Lin, Yixin
• Other Authors: -
• Format: Thesis-Master by Coursework
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Arts and Humanities; Ideology in translation; Political discourse analysis; Critical discourse analysis; van Dijk; Chinese translation; Taiwanese translation
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/178383
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Ideology in translation is one of the most relevant and interesting areas of study in translation studies today. This dissertation explores the prevalence of ideology in translation through the critical comparison and analysis of two Chinese-language translations of Kishore Mahbubani’s Has China Won?, a commentary and opinion piece on the current geopolitical situation, specifically on the relations and issues between China and the United States. The two Chinese-language translations, respectively from China and Taiwan, have been produced by translators with very different backgrounds and perspectives, and thus show various ideological slants in the choices made and strategies utilized. The study is carried out against the background of Teun A. van Dijk’s theoretical framework on ideology. Both Chinese-language translations are compared line by line with the source text, and lines or sections with significant differences were then examined in detail. Out of the 514 differences analysed, 67 significant examples are presented in this dissertation. The results show that both translations carry strong ideological slants, though the respective translators utilize different strategies to transmit their ideologies, which differ from the source text. It is only through the critical comparison of both translations that the ideological slants become clear, as the differences in the text highlight and accentuate the differing ideologies of the translators.