The News Translator An Editor And A Cultural Mediator

In spite of the appearance of translation as a linguistic transformation, it nevertheless often goes far beyond to become an encompassing activity of ideological interpretation in nature. This important fact ruthlessly blurs the demarcation between what is taken as translation and what is recognized as editing, much to the disappointment of some"translation theorists"working in their ivory tower and advocating for its pure linguistic nature.This thesis, starting from the theory study of Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis and Multiculturalism, provide a theoretical support for the translator's subjectivity in news translation. Then further explains why the translator assumes the role of being a product of his culture and how he mediates between different cultures. By an analysis of the translation of Mr. Hu Jintao's catchphrase"bu zhe teng", the fourth chapter makes a case for a news translator's role as a cultural mediator as incurred by the different social, cultural and historical backgrounds. Then it further discusses the three aspects which influence the translator in news translation: the self culture, the other culture, and interference from"the third power".In the fifth chapter, the writer comes up with the concept of"transediting"and by revisiting the routine in the newsroom, that is, how domestic news is re-processed before being printed to the English-speaking audiences, the writer displays in every step how the news translator acts as an editor, his obligations, rights, as well as the relation between his social standing on the one hand and attitudes and approaches to his translation practice on the other.The conclusion to be drawn from such a discussion is as follows: in translating news which is often culturally loaded, the translator often has to assume the function of the editor if he is to perform his duty well, to make his translated text meaningful and easily comprehensible; his position is in fact on par with that of editor if not higher. Overlooking this obligation may have led some translators to condescend to the original writer and keep a low profile themselves. Therefore, to raise his social standing, the translator often has to come to the stage front boldly in place of the original writer, to speak for him rather than parrot what he says. The author believes that the linkage between translation and editing in the media context is a subject worth delving into in the future. In addition to the freedom and restrictions in news translation, this paper try to reflect how news translators see themselves and how they are perceived, in the hope that the status of the translator can be elevated.