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Abstract

The Role of Translation in Shaping Identity: Ideological Bias and its Impact on the Arabic Translation of Yemeni Political News

Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Al-Kaina’ay

Sana’a, Yemen, Sana’a University, Faculty of languages Department of English

106 - 120
Vol.19, Issue 1, Jan-Jun, 2025
Receiving Date: 2025-02-28
Acceptance Date: 2025-04-22
Publication Date: 2025-04-24
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http://doi.org/10.37648/ijps.v19i01.009

Abstract

This study explores the ideological bias in the Arabic translation of Yemeni political news, focusing on how translation serves as a tool for shaping identity and reinforcing or resisting political ideologies in politically sensitive contexts. By applying CDA and Bias Models to translated news articles, this paper aims to reveal the mechanisms through which translation can function as a tool for ideological representation and manipulation, particularly in politically charged environments like Yemen. Employing Critical Discourse Analysis and Merrill’s Bias Categories; Attribution Bias, Adjectival Bias, Adverbial Bias, Contextual Bias, Outright Opinion Bias, and Photographic Bias, this paper analyzes how translation choices impact the representation of political events, figures, and groups within the ongoing Yemeni political climate. The paper examines ten samples of translated political news articles to identify the ways in which the translation process influences public perception and shapes political discourse. The study comes out with a number of results including the bias in portraying the events and people. The findings indicate that translation not only reflects political ideologies but actively participates in constructing or challenging political identities, especially in a conflict zone like Yemen. The paper contributes to the growing field of political translation studies, offering insights into the role of translation in the ideological shaping of news narratives and its potential impact on national and cultural identity formation in conflict situations.


Keywords: Translation; ideology; identity; bias; CDA; political discourse; Media


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