Search the digital library catalog

Abstract: Studies show that our ideas of gender and sexuality are closely linked with the language that is used to define and describe these two notions. It has been further proven that there is a very close relationship between issues related to sexuality and concepts such as gender, (political) power, exploitation, supremacy and mobbing, to name but a few. Social, cultural, political, historical and other discussions regarding questions such as what sexuality is and what is permissible, acceptable and even “normal”, are inevitably part of linguistic discourse. In this MA thesis I thus research and analyze the complexity and multifacetedness of the relationship between language, discourse, gender and sexuality in the translations of English texts. I focus on the translations of texts which could be considered ambiguous in regards to expressing gender. This refers to the co-dependence between the source text, male or female translator and culture, as well as the broader circumstances that influence the translation or target text. In the first part of the thesis I focus on the theoretical background and critical insights into the relationships between language, gender and sexuality. The next stage comprises a comparison of English texts from various media sources (classical and electronic) on both linguistic and discursive levels, with the translations of these texts into Slovene, Croatian and German provided by future translators. The second part of the thesis, the research, comprises two parts: first, I am interested in how these texts and their translations are dealt with by the students – future translators – from four faculties in Maribor, Graz, Zagreb and Split. I am further interested in the level of the respondents’ awareness regarding the appropriate use of politically correct expressions, which I assume they are able to use accordingly in their translations. The second part of the research presents data collected based on the questionnaire, which was answered by future translators immediately after completion of the survey. Since the students come from different backgrounds, I am mostly interested in the reasons and possible factors that have influenced their translation choices (of individual words, expressions (terms), phrases, etc.). There are two general assumptions based on the literature review and the analysis of the translations and answers to the questionnaires provided by the future translators. The first one refers to the target text – translation – which, in most cases, depends on the current culture, social environment and time period. The emphasis is placed on the co-dependence between the source text, translator (male or female) as well as culture and other broader background circumstances which influence the translation or the target text. This assumption emphasizes the importance of translators possessing a high level of knowledge and intercultural awareness. The latter was noticable in the translations under research, yet we are still, as regards politically correct expressions, in the process of introducing norms and guidelines on a higher, state level, which might be later generally applied. The second general assumption refers to cultural, social, political, historical and ideological paradigms which annul the ideal of a translation as embodying or reflecting neutral, impartial linguistic and discursive text fidelity. From the translations into three languages, I was able to establish that there are no ideal translations. Furthermore, it was extremely difficult to find gender neutral translations, because of the differences between the three languages analyzed in the study, which would fulfill expectations in the three culturally and politically different cultures according to their individual ideological guidelines. We also have to be aware of the rapid degree of globalization, progress and change which create differences and shape new rules, rendering the old ones obsolete.
Keywords: gender, sexuality, language, discourse, translation, political correctness
Published in DKUM: 11.08.2016; Views: 1931; Downloads: 169
Full text (5,15 MB)

Abstract: Research suggests that many ESL teachers either modify or supplement the set textbooks they use in class, or develop their own materials for classroom use. Indeed, in recent years, the internet in particular has opened up a rich and at times perhaps baffling array of resources for those ESL practitioners who wish to incorporate authentic materials into their teaching. While the benefits of authentic materials are well-documented, their use is, however, not entirely unproblematic, and as research into the field of material (authentic or otherwise) development grows, this raises a number of issues as to the form these materials should take and how they can best be employed. This article presents a set of vocabulary building activities for future nursing staff; these activities are in use at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Maribor. The article explains the rationale behind them in light of the theoretical framework of language acquisition that underpins them.
Keywords: ESL teachers, vocabulary acquisition, authentic materials, trainee nurses, theoretical framework
Published in DKUM: 10.07.2015; Views: 1248; Downloads: 95
Full text (105,48 KB)
This document has many files! More...

Keywords: študijski programi, dodiplomski študij, Maribor, angleščina
Published in DKUM: 10.07.2015; Views: 1755; Downloads: 58
Link to full text

Abstract: As the world becomes increasingly unified, there is a growing tendency for language transfer in audiovisual media. Media are one of many different channels through which globalization is rapidly occurring. Although audiovisual (or multimedia) translation may not have been discussed much until recently, in the last twenty years, awareness of the importance of this kind of communication has grown considerably because the development of new technologies. This paper will examine whether translation training is keeping up with theory on the translation process and its product. It will address such issues as how to acquire multimedia translation competence, how to design a lesson to achieve long-term goals, and how to determine the teacher's and the student's roles in translation activities. I will discuss possible ways of introducing the predominant and/or prevailing types of multimedia translation to students of translation, giving some practical examples for classroom dynamics.
Keywords: translation, theory of translation, multimedia translation, audiovisual translation, classroom dynamics
Published in DKUM: 07.06.2012; Views: 1863; Downloads: 55
Full text (157,13 KB)
This document has many files! More...