Ideological Manipulation in Audiovisual Translation

In the presentation of the translation studies journal Meta 57(2), a special issue dedicated to “The Manipulation of Audiovisual Translation”, editor Díaz Cintas (2012: 275) noted that “despite the crucial role played by audiovisual media in our society, little has been written on the impact that power, ideology, censorship, and manipulation have when translating these programmes into other languages and cultures”. The volume was a collection of essays dealing with the many facets in which translation and manipulation intertwine when dealing with the transfer of audiovisual products from one language to another. The scholar ended his introduction inviting colleagues to carry out further research in such an exciting field. Four years later, Jorge Díaz Cintas together with Irene Ranzato and Ilaria Parini present a new collection of essays on the topic of ideology and manipulation in audiovisual translation, with articles from scholars from various parts of the world, dealing with different kinds of audiovisual products and different modes of translation involved. Given the paramount importance that the socio-cultural dimension has for the topics broached, Altre Modernità turns out to be a most pertinent site to publish this special issue, given the interest that the journal has always shown towards culture and modernity in all their manifestations. In particular, the issue especially conforms to the interests of the journal because the articles collected explore the field of ideological manipulation in audiovisual translation in the most disparate countries from all over the world, from Europe (UK, Italy and Spain), to Asia (China and Taiwan), to the Middle East (Egypt and Iran).