Translation between register analysis and critical discourse analysis

Abstract

In the present piece of research, we argue that translation cannot be effective unless the purpose and the audience are clearly identified. One of the main lessons we have learned during this journey is the need for a thorough register analysis of the source text before translation, in addition to the necessity of embedding the target text in its immediate cultural environment within a critical discourse analysis. In this respect, an analysis of the article “Asymmetric struggle for the hearts and mind of viewers: Can the media actually trigger sympathy towards terrorists? (Maoz, 2010), which was translated by Badia Elharraki (2012), will give the reader an idea about the difficulty of translation because this article, if translated without some modifications at the lexical level, will have huge undesirable effects on the Arab/Muslim audience.