Translation, echoes of the mind or a very deliberate act?: Analysing translation manipulation through the lens of psychology

ABSTRACT

Historically translation has been an essential force in the casting of socially dominant ideologies and the narratives they spawn. However, the cultural turn in translation studies unearthed the manner translation can be exploited by ideological forces, and thus illustrated its manipulative capability. Drawing from previous works, this article presents various instances of translation manipulation, but to account for these the focus is shifted from external ideological power to the internal cognitive process. This involves presenting findings from a translation comprehension experiment and a discussion on the ambiguity of language and how it is alleviated through the reliance of subjective beliefs. Accordingly, theories from psychology such as schema theory and gestalt theory, are employed to explore the interaction between beliefs, cognition and translation. From this discussion a hypothesis is synthesised that asserts there is a component of the cognitive process, the ‘cognitive loop’, that habitually exploits the ambiguity of language to produce meanings that cohere with existing beliefs. Within this paradigm it is argued that in addition to external forces such as ideological power, facets of the cognitive process should also be considered when accounting for what appears to be the ideological manipulation of translation.

KEYWORDS:

• Translation
• ideology
• power
• manipulation
• schema
• psychology

Acknowledgments

I wish to acknowledge my sincere gratitude to Dr Omar A. Sheikh Al-Shabab and Dr Khaled Dabbour for their kindness and the time and intellectual stimulation they gave me. The seeds of this article were not only planted through the many conversations with them, but they also provided the environment and essential nutrients for those very ideas to grow.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Burçin Kağan Mustafa

Burçin K. Mustafa initially undertook an MA in translation to pursue a career in translating from Arabic into English. However, during his studies he was exposed to the theoretical complexities of translation. This encounter inspired him to change course and embark on a PhD research program into the ideological influences on translation with reference to the propagation of 9/11 narratives. He completed his PhD in 2017 and currently is a senior teaching fellow at SOAS University of London, where he teaches courses related to translation theory and translation technology. His research interests are focused on the relationship between ideology and translation, and he is also working on mapping the cognitive processes used during translating.