Narratives of terrorism and security: 'Accurate' translations, suspicious frames

Mona Baker

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    670 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Constructing and disseminating 'knowledge' about a number of communities and regions widely designated as a security threat is now a big industry. Much of this industry relies heavily on various forms of translation and, in some cases, is generated by a team of dedicated translators working on full-blown, heavily funded programmes that involve selecting, translating and distributing various types of text that emanate from Arab and Muslim countries: newspaper articles, film clips, transcripts of television shows, selected excerpts from educational material, sermons delivered in mosques. Drawing on narrative theory and using examples from institutions involved in constructing this type of knowledge, this article argues that attempts to discredit such efforts by questioning the 'accuracy' of individual translations miss the point. What is needed, instead, is a more nuanced understanding of the subtle devices used to generate dehumanising narratives of Arabs and Muslims through carefully planned and generously funded programmes of translation. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)347-364
    Number of pages17
    JournalCritical Studies on Terrorism
    Volume3
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2010

    Keywords

    • Arab
    • MEMRI
    • Muslim
    • Narrative
    • Translation

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Narratives of terrorism and security: 'Accurate' translations, suspicious frames'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this