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In the last two decades, audiovisual translation has come to be employed in an ever-widening range of contexts and media, an expansion which has been more or less reflected in research. Meanwhile, video game localization and the volunteer translation communities responsible for it have become popular research topics around the world. In Turkey, despite the existence of both volunteer communities and professional localization companies, academic studies on video game localization are scarce. To help fill this gap in the literature, the present study aims to explore the potential similarities and differences between community translation processes in volunteer and professional video game localization in Turkey. To this end, two group interviews were carried out: one with members of a volunteer video game localization community operating within the Steam Translation Server, the other with the representatives of a professional localization company in Istanbul, Turkey. The localization processes reported by the respondents were compared in the light of the typologies and processes of community translation presented in the literature. The findings from the interviews indicated that the video game localization processes followed by the two communities resembled one another in terms of management, participation, and closed community structure, but the volunteer community sometimes displayed more flexibility in these aspects and did not seem to set such strict standards. The findings thus suggest that theories of community translation need to take more account of both common and distinguishing features of online communities and offer new categorizations for blended community structures.

Abstract Background Translation and cross cultural adaptation of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) involves a step referred to as harmonisation, following forward and backward translation of the measure. This article proposes the introduction of methods not previously included in the process of harmonisation. The aim of the study was to introduce shared decision making (SDM) and the practice of community translation (CT) during the harmonisation of the Afrikaans for the Western Cape version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire, a PROM that measures symptoms and activity and participation in persons with upper limb conditions. Methods A broader approach to harmonisation is proposed by incorporating CT and SDM in addition to existing methods toward harmonisation. Participants (n = 8) involved in the harmonisation meeting included the principal investigator, a linguistic expert, occupational therapists with knowledge of the target population, context and the DASH questionnaire and members of the target population with and without upper limb conditions. A partnership was formed with the participants (a principle of SDM) and the principles of non-parallel CT and the CT approach were applied during harmonisation. Employing CT principles ensures that the norm for the translation is set by the population the translation is intended for. Results Forward and backward translation of the DASH questionnaire presented a version of the measure in the target language for consideration during harmonisation. There were however a significant number of conceptually problematic items on the version presented at the meeting. Only seven items (7 of 30) remained unchanged. Conclusion SDM and CT was used during the harmonisation of the Afrikaans for the Western Cape DASH questionnaire. Both these practices could have relevance in the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of PROMs where the translation is intended for persons from low socio-economic backgrounds and low levels of education.

This empirical study explores whether indigenous Zulu praise-poetry can inform the translation of biblical praise-psalms. Zulu youth (“poetry fans”) were invited to learn about Hebrew and Zulu poetics as well as the process of Bible translation. Then they made their own translations and performances of biblical praise-psalms, following the Literary-rhetorical approach of Ernst Wendland. The results show a strong Zulu imprint from the source to the receptor text, although the original message is retained along with some of the poetic features. The literary and rhetorical power of the Hebrew is transformed into images and thought patterns that come alive to the Zulu mind while still being acceptable (to them) in terms of biblical accuracy. The performances of the translated texts (using rap, song, or spoken poetry) utilise prosody to deliver the message, thus requiring some adjustment to the texts. The audience enters into the experience, impacting the performers. Thus, there are four “voices” apparent: those of the original author, the Zulu translator, the Zulu performer, and the audience. A rich texture of cultural beauty emerges as the Hebrew and Zulu horizons merge in a panorama of literary beauty and rhetorical power.

The translator as agent of empowerment: A case study In this article the focus is on the role of the translator as an agent of empowerment for linguistically marginalised communities; it also raises the practical issue of his/her role as an intermediary equipped with knowledge of the source and target cultures and their (non-)overlap. The community translation approach, which emerged from a socio-linguistic perspective, forms the basis for this point of departure. The aim of this approach is to give these communities access to the same information and services as the linguistical “elite”. In order to realise this, the translator uses discourse patterns and linguistic conventions of the target group. For this approach, the needs of the target audience in the translation process are of paramount importance. To illustrate the translator’s role as an agent of empowerment as well as an effective intermediary, this article’s focus is on translation strategies used in a pragmatic text.

This paper reports on a research project that investigated the accessibility of health information and the consequent impact for translation into community languages. This is a critical aspect of the mediation of intercultural and interlingual communication in the domain of public health information and yet very little research has been undertaken to address such issues. The project was carried out in collaboration with the New South Wales Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS), which provides advice and services to state-based health professionals aiming to communicate with non-English speaking communities. The research employed a mixed-method and action research based approach involving two phases. The primary focus of this paper is to discuss major quantitative findings from the first pilot phase, which indicated that there is much room to improve the way in which health information is written in English for effective community-wide communication within a multilingual society.