The Role of the Translator in Nowadays’ Politically Charged International Environment

In nowadays’ politically charged and highly unstable environment, translators often find themselves in the difficult position of having to cater both to the original message of a source text, and to the more or less obvious political and social expectations of the media outlets that will broadcast the said political materials. More often than not, unfortunately, magazines and newspapers do not render the full-text translations of the speeches or statements delivered by international political actors, but rather subjectively tinged bits and pieces thereof, in a more or less covert attempt to cater to their readership’s biases and expectations. This brings up a series of challenging questions regarding the ethical dimension of translating political discourse across international boundaries, and the waning importance of faithfulness in the field of international political translation.