Nina Havumetsä

Näkökulmia kieltenväliseen siteeraukseen journalismissa ja sen laadunarviointiin

Introduction

Näkökulmia kieltenväliseen siteeraukseen journalismissa ja sen laadunarviointiin. Tutki kieltenvälistä siteerausta journalismissa ja sen laadunarviointia. Analysoi poliitikon vastauksen käännöksiä sekä siteerausten journalistisia funktioita mediassa.

Abstract

Interlingual quoting (Haapanen and Perrin 2019) and other forms of translated reported speech form an essential part of journalistic translation. The research material of this paper covers a response given by a top Russian politician, in Russian, to a question by an English-speaking reporter at a press conference; of the simultaneous English interpretation of the response; and of reports covering the response in English and Finnish media. Journalistic translation is seen as translatorial action. In the analysis, translatorial action concepts introduced by Koskela et al. (2017) are applied, including duplicating, summarizing, and expanding source-language speech in the target language. The translated quotes found in the material are analyzed to see whether they correspond with the general journalistic functions of quotes (e.g., Haapanen 2017). The analysis shows that most translated quotes are in line with their journalistic functions. The results support previous findings (Schäffner 2012) of the downplayed role of interpretation as a journalistic source text and indicate that journalists may be more aware that they act as paraprofessional translators than previously suggested.

Review

This paper, titled "Perspectives on interlingual quoting in journalism and its quality assessment," offers a valuable examination of interlingual quoting and other forms of translated reported speech within journalistic contexts. Focusing on a compelling case study, the research meticulously analyzes a Russian politician's response, its simultaneous English interpretation, and subsequent coverage in English and Finnish media. The study effectively frames journalistic translation as a form of "translatorial action," applying concepts such as duplicating, summarizing, and expanding source-language speech, thereby providing a robust theoretical lens through which to investigate the complexities of cross-linguistic communication in news reporting. The methodology employed is particularly strong, applying the translatorial action concepts introduced by Koskela et al. (2017) to systematically analyze the translated quotes. Furthermore, the paper rigorously assesses whether these translated quotes align with established general journalistic functions of quoting, drawing on frameworks like Haapanen (2017). This dual analytical approach allows for a nuanced understanding of how journalistic practices interact with the inherent challenges of translation and interpretation, ensuring that the findings are grounded in both theoretical rigor and empirical observation of media production. The findings of this research offer significant contributions to the field. The observation that most translated quotes conform to their journalistic functions provides reassuring insights into current practices. Crucially, the study supports previous findings by Schäffner (2012) concerning the often-underestimated role of interpretation as a journalistic source text. Perhaps most notably, the results suggest that journalists may possess a greater awareness of their role as "paraprofessional translators" than previously acknowledged. This paper thus not only sheds light on the quality of interlingual quoting but also prompts a re-evaluation of journalists' translational agency, making it an essential read for scholars in journalistic translation, media studies, and communication.

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