Translating destination images as a re-presentation of multiple identities : comparing the Chinese-to-English translations of four tourism websites
This thesis argues that website translations can be taken as a form of social control striving to achieve certain political or economic ends by the website owners from a self-representation perspective. Studying the Chinese-to-English translations of the destination sections in four tourism websites, this study aims to derive interpretations as to how the act of translating formulates multiple self-representations, which may be seen as ideological attempts to influence the perceptions of target-text audiences. This thesis has two main parts. The first, Chapters 1 and 2, outlines the research objectives, background information and the conceptualisation of the four cases, and a two-stage comparative method working within an integrated theoretical framework. The second part, Chapters 3 to 5, comprises the empirical findings, discussing how features of discourses hypothetically prominent in a particular dimension of the website context may come to manifest different identities of the website owners. The translation strategies for these features are examined to identify the aspects of these identities changed in the self-representation contexts. Chapter 3 hypothesizes that the common context of the websites is
Kong, Chung-yan
translation studies ; tourism ; website translation ; critical discourse analysis ; representation of identities ; context of situation
Translating destination images as a re-presentation of multiple identities : comparing the Chinese-to-English translations of four tourism websites. This thesis argues that website translations can be taken as a form of social control striving to achieve certain political or economic ends by the website owners from a self-representation perspective. Studying the Chinese-to-English translations of the destination sections in four tourism websites, this study aims to derive interpretations as to how the act of translating formulates multiple self-representations, which may be seen as ideological attempts to influence the perceptions of target-text audiences. This thesis has two main parts. The first, Chapters 1 and 2, outlines the research objectives, background information and the conceptualisation of the four cases, and a two-stage comparative method working within an integrated theoretical framework. The second part, Chapters 3 to 5, comprises the empirical findings, discussing how features of discourses hypothetically prominent in a particular dimension of the website context may come to manifest different identities of the website owners. The translation strategies for these features are examined to identify the aspects of these identities changed in the self-representation contexts. Chapter 3 hypothesizes that the common context of the websites is
translating destination image presentation multiple identity compare chinese english_translation tourism website argues website translation take_form social_control strive achieve certain political_economic end website owner self_representation perspective studying chinese english_translation destination section tourism website study aim derive interpretation act translate formulates multiple self representations may_see ideological attempt influence perception target_text audience two_main part first_outline objective background_information conceptualisation four_case two_stage comparative_method work within integrated theoretical_framework second_part comprise empirical_finding discuss feature discourse prominent particular dimension website context may come manifest different identity website owner translation_strategy feature examine identify aspect identity change self_representation context common context website