Unfaithful journalism?

Some time ago we talked about the functionality and the faithfulness of translations. We said, while we must maintain some loyalty to our source text, many times whereas adapting the meta text achieve the effect sought in its readers. On this occasion, we will talk about how journalistic translation faces all the time this trade-off between fidelity and functionality.

Translate journalistic presents certain challenges that few people know about. A journalistic text is to inform the reader about a topic of today; According to the place of the world in which we find ourselves, this issue is going to be more or less relevant, and we will need more or less detail about the topic. In general, when a translator receives an article, their mission is not only to translate it, but also to adapt it to the culture and the interests of the public that will read the translation.

Imagine, for example, a report on double page of a German newspaper about a train accident in Germany which will be translated into a medium of Latin America. Latin American newspaper probably ask the translator that converts the report into a half-page article to be published in the "International" section. The professional must deploy not only his skills as a translator, but also all their linguistic skills to compress (and much!) the text.

In addition to removing information that is not relevant, it is possible that the translator has to add data that will help the reader to better understand certain facts. Perhaps for a German geographical factors which may have influenced the accident because he knows the place, but it may be necessary to extend that information for a better understanding of the Latin American reader are obvious. The same thing will happen with the names of certain local institutions, that it is possible that the reader the goal does not know.

This is just one example of the many challenges a translator of journalistic texts, confronts that not to mention soon which is usually have. As we can see, you not only need to know two languages with which works, but also have the tools to be able to compress, expand and adapt the text as needed. It needless to mention the general culture that every translator must have to be able to see beyond what is written.

Translate journalism is a challenge in which being faithful to the original text is difficult.The translator is faithful because it does not invent anything don't say the original, but is unfaithful to the delete and add information as needed. All, of course, for the sake of the functionality and effectiveness of the text; In short, for the benefit of the reader.