Multimodal Pragmatics and Translation: A New Model for Source Text Analysis

181 Pages·2018·3.044 MB·English

by  Sara Dicerto (auth.)

PALGRAVE STUDIES IN
TRANSLATING AND INTERPRETING
Series Editor: Margaret Rogers
MULTIMODAL
PRAGMATICS AND
TRANSLATION
A New Model for
Source Text Analysis
Sara Dicerto
Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting
Series editor
Margaret Rogers
Department of Languages and Translation
University of Surrey
Guildford, UK
This series examines the crucial role which translation and interpreting in
their myriad forms play at all levels of communication in today’s world,
from the local to the global. Whilst this role is being increasingly recog-
nised in some quarters (for example, through European Union legisla-
tion), in others it remains controversial for economic, political and social
reasons. The rapidly changing landscape of translation and interpreting
practice is accompanied by equally challenging developments in their aca-
demic study, often in an interdisciplinary framework and increasingly
reflecting commonalities between what were once considered to be sepa-
rate disciplines. The books in this series address specific issues in both
translation and interpreting with the aim not only of charting but also of
shaping the discipline with respect to contemporary practice and research.
More information about this series at
http://www.palgrave.com/series/14574
Sara Dicerto
Multimodal
Pragmatics and
Translation
A New Model for Source Text Analysis
Sara Dicerto
King’s College London
London, UK
Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting
ISBN 978-3-319-69343-9 ISBN 978-3-319-69344-6 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69344-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017960751
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A
cknowledgements
If there is one thing I have learnt out of writing this book, it is that life is
multimodal. Meaning comes to us in all forms at all times, and getting the
best out of it depends entirely on our ability to make sense of our acquain-
tances, readings, experiences and circumstances.
As the product of a multimodal life, a book on multimodality (or on
any other topic, for that matter) is hardly the result of a person’s effort,
but rather it is the outcome of a community’s work. For this reason, I
would like to thank the following people for their special contributions:
Ark Globe Academy and King’s College for granting me the time and the
resources to work on this publication;
Prof Sabine Braun and Dr Dimitris Asimakoulas for their continued help
and support when this work was in its infancy;
Prof Margaret Rogers for her extensive feedback and lots of food for
thought;
Giacinto Palmieri for being my academic sparring partner;
Filon, for reasons he knows very well.
v
c
ontents
1 A New Model for Source Text Analysis in Translation 1
2 On the Road to Multimodality: Semiotics 15
3 Multimodal Meaning in Context: Pragmatics 37
4 Analysing Multimodal Source Texts for Translation:
A Proposal 61
5 Multimodal ST Analysis: The Model Applied 99
6 Multimodal ST Analysis: Current Status,
Opportunities, Ways Forward 159
References 167
Index 175
vii
l f
ist of igures
Fig. 3.1 Meaning detection scheme, after Levinson (2000: 188) 47
Fig. 4.1 Lord Kitchener poster, Alfred Leete, 1914 69
Fig. 4.2 Relationships of status, after Martinec and Salway (2003: 351) 74
Fig. 4.3 Visual-verbal logico-semantic relationships—after Martinec
and Salway (2005: 360) 75
Fig. 4.4 Cross-media interaction relations (COSMOROE)—after
Pastra (2008: 308) 79
Fig. 4.5 Visual-verbal relations, full diagram 83
Fig. 5.1 Steve Bell (2013) The Backbone. The Guardian,
22 May 2013 105
Fig. 5.2 Latymer restaurant review, Surrey Life 110
Fig. 5.3 Dr Seuss (2004) The Cat in the Hat, p. 1. London:
Harper Collins 114
Fig. 5.4 Pat Bagley (2013) Bush Library. Salt Lake Tribune,
24 April 2013 118
Fig. 5.5 Arthur Thomson (1964), A Handbook of Anatomy for
Art Students, p.34 123
Fig. 5.6 EPA—Climate Concepts, Student Guide to Global
Climate Change 126
Fig. 5.7 Yalta Conference entry, from Wikipedia 130
Fig. 5.8 Save the Children 134
Fig. 5.9 UNICEF (2007) Water Campaign 139
Fig. 5.10 WWF (2012) Earth Hour 143
Fig. 5.11 Reproduction of American Red Cross leaflet 148
Fig. 5.12 Coldwater Creek advertisement 151
ix
l t
ist of Ables
Table 3.1 Pragmatic approaches to meaning, after Levinson
(2000: 195) 50
Table 4.1 Sender’s meaning 71
Table 4.2 Sender’s meaning, first elaboration 84
Table 4.3 Tripartite structure of the model for the analysis of
multimodal STs 89
Table 4.4 Transcription table for static multimodal texts, after
Baldry and Thibault (2005: 29) 91
Table 4.5 Transcription table for dynamic multimodal texts, after
Baldry and Thibault (2005) 92
Table 4.6 Table of transcription and analysis for dynamic
multimodal texts 93
Table 4.7 Table of transcription and analysis for static multimodal
texts 95
Table 5.1 Summary table, The Backbone 108
Table 5.2 Summary table, Latymer restaurant review 112
Table 5.3 Summary table, The Cat in the Hat 116
Table 5.4 Summary table, Bush Liebury 120
Table 5.5 Summary table, Anatomy for Art Students 124
Table 5.6 Summary table, Climate Concepts 128
Table 5.7 Summary table, Yalta Conference 132
Table 5.8 Summary table, Save the Children 136
Table 5.9 Summary table, Unicef Water Campaign 141
Table 5.10 Summary table, WWF Earth Hour campaign 145
Table 5.11 Summary table, American Red Cross leaflet 150
Table 5.12 Summary table, Coldwater Creek 153
xi
CHAPTER 1
A New Model for Source Text Analysis
in Translation
Abstract What is considered important in translation has undergone sev-
eral changes over time. The way translation is approached has changed,
also because source texts have changed. Modern translators more than
ever find themselves working on texts that communicate by more than
‘just’ words. Translation is an activity that is growing ever more complex
and cannot be accounted for in linguistic terms any longer. Given the lack
of a general picture of multimodal translation in the literature, a new study
is needed to move towards a more comprehensive understanding of mul-
timodal translation. This book offers a model for multimodal ST analysis
that can be used as a tool to improve our understanding of how multi-
modal texts are organised to convey meaning, and of what this means for
their translation.
Keywords Translation theory • Multimodality • Translation • ST analy-
sis • Equivalence
Scholars in translation studies have debated for decades what the inform-
ing principle of the activity of translation should be. The roots of this
debate, however, date back to long before the advent of the discipline
itself.
© The Author(s) 2018 1
S. Dicerto, Multimodal Pragmatics and Translation,
Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69344-6_1