Comments on: Lost in translation: a one-edged double-edged sword http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/ China and Other things Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:13:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 By: Gemini http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1997 Gemini Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:47:45 +0000 http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1997 It takes real courage to tell the truth, and to read the truth. It takes real courage to tell the truth, and to read the truth.

]]> By: FOARP http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1842 FOARP Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:29:43 +0000 http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1842 Editing stuff from the wire services for local consumption is something that happens everywhere. But this is quite different as it means actually messing with the focus and direction of the pieces so that it actually ends up saying something that the original author might not support or agree with. To all those people who are going on about western newsmedia: give me a break! Far be it from me to defend mock-news channels like Fox, but channels like CNN regularly feature reports from Al Jazeera, Xinhua, RIAN Novostii as well as other news outlets which are less than sympathetic to the western outlook. They may pick and choose the stories, but they hardly do the kind of hatchet job that is described in the piece above. They will also usually try to balance out commentry from one side of an argument with commentry from the other. My preference is for the BBC, which has been accused variously of being anti-semite, anti-muslim, pro-left, pro-conservative, anti-China, anti-US and anti/pro-war. If it does any of these things then I still have other news services to balance out biases existing in the BBC - does the average CCTV watcher have this choice? Editing stuff from the wire services for local consumption is something that happens everywhere. But this is quite different as it means actually messing with the focus and direction of the pieces so that it actually ends up saying something that the original author might not support or agree with.

To all those people who are going on about western newsmedia: give me a break! Far be it from me to defend mock-news channels like Fox, but channels like CNN regularly feature reports from Al Jazeera, Xinhua, RIAN Novostii as well as other news outlets which are less than sympathetic to the western outlook. They may pick and choose the stories, but they hardly do the kind of hatchet job that is described in the piece above. They will also usually try to balance out commentry from one side of an argument with commentry from the other. My preference is for the BBC, which has been accused variously of being anti-semite, anti-muslim, pro-left, pro-conservative, anti-China, anti-US and anti/pro-war. If it does any of these things then I still have other news services to balance out biases existing in the BBC - does the average CCTV watcher have this choice?

]]> By: amoiist http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1235 amoiist Sun, 03 Feb 2008 06:16:39 +0000 http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1235 <strong>僅有一刃的雙刃劍——媒體操控...</strong> Black and White Cat是個細心的讀者，能夠發現很多不同點，他用僅有一刃的雙刃劍&#20358..... 僅有一刃的雙刃劍——媒體操控…

Black and White Cat是個細心的讀者，能夠發現很多不同點，他用僅有一刃的雙刃劍&#20358…..

]]> By: michael http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1232 michael Sun, 03 Feb 2008 05:41:26 +0000 http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1232 Can I bother you to drop me an email? I've got a question for you... Can I bother you to drop me an email? I’ve got a question for you…

]]> By: China Law Blog http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1225 China Law Blog Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:34:44 +0000 http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1225 <strong>China Media: The Truth Is Out There Somewhere...</strong> The Black And White Cat does a phenomenal job dissecting how Xinhua changed a Christian Science Monitor article to suit China's own purposes. The post is entitled, "Lost in translation: a one-edged double-edged sword," and it makes for fascinating r... China Media: The Truth Is Out There Somewhere…

The Black And White Cat does a phenomenal job dissecting how Xinhua changed a Christian Science Monitor article to suit China’s own purposes. The post is entitled, “Lost in translation: a one-edged double-edged sword,” and it makes for fascinating r…

]]> By: Brgyags http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1205 Brgyags Sat, 02 Feb 2008 08:54:35 +0000 http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1205 Dingo said: "this is indeed pretty much par for the course when it comes to the Chinese media covering the foreign media’s coverage of China (whew!)" Well, I am amazed that the Chinese really care about what others are thinking about them. I know Americans certainly don't. When will CNN or NYT translate a report from Al Jazeeera about the US troops in Iraq? If they do, I will be very interested in finding out to what extent it is verbatim. The problem, I think, is that the Chinese are too nervous about their image. When they are no longer bothered by such anxiety, they have grown up. Dingo said: “this is indeed pretty much par for the course when it comes to the Chinese media covering the foreign media’s coverage of China (whew!)”

Well, I am amazed that the Chinese really care about what others are thinking about them. I know Americans certainly don’t. When will CNN or NYT translate a report from Al Jazeeera about the US troops in Iraq? If they do, I will be very interested in finding out to what extent it is verbatim.

The problem, I think, is that the Chinese are too nervous about their image. When they are no longer bothered by such anxiety, they have grown up.

]]> By: Bruce Humes http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1195 Bruce Humes Sat, 02 Feb 2008 03:33:45 +0000 http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1195 Well done! I especially appreciate your approach whereby we can see exactly which words of the English original were deleted in the finished translation into Chinese. Personally, I consider your article useful in helping to lessen the gulf between different societies. Worldwide, the great mass of people know only their local language plus one other -- generally English -- and so they have no way of knowing how they, their culture and their opinions are being represented to the Chinese in Chinese. Keep up the good work. Bruce Humes Well done! I especially appreciate your approach whereby we can see exactly which words of the English original were deleted in the finished translation into Chinese.

Personally, I consider your article useful in helping to lessen the gulf between different societies. Worldwide, the great mass of people know only their local language plus one other — generally English — and so they have no way of knowing how they, their culture and their opinions are being represented to the Chinese in Chinese.

Keep up the good work.

Bruce Humes

]]> By: Dingo http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1164 Dingo Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:07:20 +0000 http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1164 Came through via danwei.org. As MAC wrote, this is indeed pretty much par for the course when it comes to the Chinese media covering the foreign media's coverage of China (whew!). It often makes you wonder if they're really trying to show what the foreign media is saying or they just want to give their citizens the impression that they're getting foreign information. To be fair, everyone has the habit of only hearing or reading what they want and then referencing the bits that support their points. The Chinese are definitely not unique in this regard. That said, I recently picked apart China Daily article <a href="http://www.tripdingo.com/2008/01/27/the-chinese-shoud-ignore-what-foreigners-think/" rel="nofollow">here</a> that referenced the UK's Independent entirely out of context as well. What I found more alarming, however, was the subtle calls for Chinese people to just ignore the foreign media and dismiss all foreign criticisms as "blabbering." Came through via danwei.org. As MAC wrote, this is indeed pretty much par for the course when it comes to the Chinese media covering the foreign media’s coverage of China (whew!). It often makes you wonder if they’re really trying to show what the foreign media is saying or they just want to give their citizens the impression that they’re getting foreign information. To be fair, everyone has the habit of only hearing or reading what they want and then referencing the bits that support their points. The Chinese are definitely not unique in this regard. That said, I recently picked apart China Daily article here that referenced the UK’s Independent entirely out of context as well. What I found more alarming, however, was the subtle calls for Chinese people to just ignore the foreign media and dismiss all foreign criticisms as “blabbering.”

]]> By: MAC http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1146 MAC Thu, 31 Jan 2008 20:44:07 +0000 http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1146 Hahaha, sadly, this is pretty much par for the course. They seem to cover themselves a little bit sometimes by calling these "summaries" of stories, but what a funny coincidence that these "summaries" are direct translations that just happen to drop everything that is less complimentary. Hahaha, sadly, this is pretty much par for the course. They seem to cover themselves a little bit sometimes by calling these “summaries” of stories, but what a funny coincidence that these “summaries” are direct translations that just happen to drop everything that is less complimentary.

]]> By: Jens http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1138 Jens Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:37:24 +0000 http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/01/31/lost-in-translation/#comment-1138 No wonder that every time you start discussing some sensitive issue like Tibet with well educated Chinese, the arguments go along at the same lines. To be fair, though, we westerners might be just as one-sided in our view of China. Thank you for the effort to make the "scissors" visible. No wonder that every time you start discussing some sensitive issue like Tibet with well educated Chinese, the arguments go along at the same lines.
To be fair, though, we westerners might be just as one-sided in our view of China.

Thank you for the effort to make the “scissors” visible.

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