Journalistic Translation: Techniques for Translating International News from English to Spanish

Facultad de Filosofía y Letras Grado en Estudios Ingleses Journalistic Translation: Techniques for Translating International News from English to Spanish Ioana Cerasela Pintilie Tutor/Tutora: Qianting Yuan Departamento de Filología Inglesa Curso: 2023-2024 Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 2 Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 3 ABSTRACT Journalistic translation is a subfield within translation studies. It has become increasingly important nowadays as its specialized nature bridges the national and international readerships. The present paper analyzes the language of journalistic translation by examining English international news texts and their Spanish translations. The main objective is to identify the prevalent translation techniques applied in the process. To achieve this, a comparative analysis of language of the source texts (ST) and that of the translated texts is conducted to reflect on the differences and similarities between them. The findings underscore the importance for translators to have deep knowledge of both the culture of the ST and that of the target text (TT). Moreover, the use of specific translation techniques is shown to facilitate the translation process to ensure clarity and accuracy in conveying information. Keywords: Journalism, Translation studies, Comparative analysis, The New York Times, Translation techniques, News translation. RESUMEN La traducción periodística es un subcampo dentro de los estudios de traducción. Se ha cobrado cada vez más relevancia en la actualidad, ya que su naturaleza especializada conecta a los lectores nacionales e internacionales. El presente trabajo fin de grado analiza el lenguaje de la traducción periodística examinando textos de noticias internacionales en inglés y sus traducciones al español. El objetivo principal es identificar las técnicas de traducción más aplicadas en el proceso. Para ello, se realiza un análisis comparativo del lenguaje de los textos originales y de los textos traducidos para reflejar las diferencias y similitudes que existen entre ellos. Los resultados destacan la importancia de que los traductores tengan un profundo conocimiento tanto de la cultura del texto original como de la del texto traducido. Además, se demuestra que el uso de técnicas específicas de traducción facilita el proceso, asegurando la claridad y precisión en la transmisión de la información. Palabras clave: Periodismo, Estudios de traducción, Análisis comparativo, The New York Times, Técnicas de traducción, Traducción de noticias. Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 4 Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 5 Table of Contents 1. Introduction............................................................................................................. 6 2. A theoretical account for journalistic translation .................................................. 7 2.1 The concept of translation ................................................................................. 7 2.2 Journalistic translation ...................................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Interconnectedness of culture and journalistic translation .............................. 8 2.2.2 Translation techniques in journalistic texts .................................................. 10 2.2.3 Challenges in journalistic translation ........................................................... 12 3. Empirical studies in journalistic translation ........................................................ 13 4. Methodology .......................................................................................................... 14 4.1 Selected materials ............................................................................................ 14 4.2 Data analysis process ....................................................................................... 14 5. Results and discussion: translation techniques applied in the selected news ...... 15 6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 28 References ................................................................................................................. 29 Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 6 1. Introduction The role and influence of media and journalism on society is profound. In today’s globalized world, as relations and interactions among different countries become increasingly dynamic, the need for translation of news into different languages is also growing. While translation is a complex process of mediation in the multilingual world, it is, in fact, one of the oldest human communication activities. The need for translation can date back to ancient times, which is illustrated in the famous myth of the Tower of Babel. Historically, a person who spoke a foreign language that was incomprehensible to others was often viewed with suspicion and even hostility. This highlights the fundamental purpose of translation: to facilitate communication among people of different languages, cultures and ways of thinking. The present undergraduate thesis investigates the translation of journalistic texts from English to Spanish. Journalistic translation has emerged and developed over time as a subfield within translation studies (Valdeón, 2015). According to Kyle and Basnett (2006), the formal study of journalistic translation began to evolve in 2003 in a research project on global news translation conducted at the University of Warwick. Before that, journalistic translation was not recognized as a distinct type of translation, since translation often took a secondary role when it came to spreading news in the world. However, in the 21st century, the significance of journalistic translation has grown and become fundamental for audiences who have different cultures and linguistic backgrounds. Nowadays, the translation of journalistic texts is a vast informative system. The translation of news texts from the source language (SL) to the target language (TL) greatly influences international readers. These informative texts aim to accurately transmit information about dates, facts and phenomena from reality; therefore, precision is essential in the translation process. The present study focuses on the analysis of the translation of journalistic texts. More specifically, it aims to identify the prevalent translation techniques in the translation process and evaluate how journalistic translation is performed from English to Spanish in international news texts that target a broad audience. Additionally, it explores the different challenges faced by translators and intends to propose possible solutions. This undergraduate thesis is organized as follows: Section 2 presents the theoretical background on journalistic translation, which covers key areas including the definition and the nature of journalistic texts, the role of culture in journalistic translation, Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 7 relevant theories concerning translation techniques and the challenges involved in journalistic translation. Section 3 presents an overview of some relevant empirical studies in the field. Section 4 outlines the methodology in the study, which presents the journalistic texts that have been chosen and the procedure adopted for the analysis. The results and discussion are presented in section 5, which explains why or how the different techniques have been applied in the texts under analysis. Finally, section 6 concludes the thesis by presenting an overview of the significant findings. 2. A theoretical account for journalistic translation Translation is an integral part of the intellectual life of any nation, which is rooted in the Greco-Roman heritage and Christian culture (Valdeón, 2012). However, unlike Bible translation, the focus on journalistic translation was very limited before the 21st century. Since then, research on journalistic translation began to flourish, and gain a place within the broader discipline of translation studies. This section offers a theoretical account for journalistic translation and the relevant issues related to it. 2.1 The concept of translation Translation has played an important role in our society since the dawn of languages. However, it is challenging to offer a straightforward definition of translation due to its multifaceted nature. The term denotes both the process of converting a text from one language to another, and the resulting product of this activity (Shuttleworth, 2014). Various scholars have offered different definitions of the term, which place emphasis on different aspects. Catford (1965) defines translation as an “operation performed on languages, which is a process of substituting a text in one language for a text in another” (1). The author then claims that “any theory of translation must be based on a theory of language—a general linguistic theory” (1). On the other hand, Nida and Taber’s (2003) definition emphasize more on transmitting the message of the ST: “[translation means] reproducing in the receiver’s language the closest natural equivalent of the message in the [SL], first in terms of meaning and second, in terms of style” (12). This definition is similar to the one proposed by Delisle et al. (1999): translation as an interlinguistic transfer operation that consists in the interpretation of a ST and the production of a TT by achieving an equivalence relationship between the two texts and respecting the parameters inherent in communication within the constraints. Although Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 8 these definitions vary in their wording, they all indicate a key point: the reproduction of the same message in the TT in a style as similar as possible to the ST. What is more, the type of texts involved in translation is another crucial point to be taken into account in the translation process. The classification of texts can be done by taking into different aspects, such as field, genre and purpose. Determining the type of text to be translated often requires a combination of several criteria, as the context of the translation and the reception can influence the purpose of the ST and the function of the TT (Reiss & Vermeer, 2013). This ensures that the translation meets the communicative needs of the target audience while maintaining fidelity to the ST. 2.2 Journalistic translation Today journalism has become an important part of our daily lives and mass media is considered as the primary source of understanding the world (Talbot, 2007). Journalistic texts, with their diverse characteristics, are currently seen as an interesting and necessary subject of research. Journalistic translation involves translating informative content with cultural nuances where the translator acts as a mediator between two languages and cultures. Such practice facilitates cross-cultural communication, which allows a culture to be presented in a different environment. In this case, mass communication, which is specific to each culture, tends to be transposed into another. This can, on the one hand, provide society with information and on the other, challenge tradition and creativity. Therefore, responsibility is key to journalistic translation, which should avoid ethnocentrism and focus on intercultural understanding instead (Jeanrenaud, 2006). Several ethnographic studies (e.g., Bielsa, 2010; Tsai, 2010; Davier, 2015) have revealed that this process and responsibility are often undertaken by journalists rather than professional translators. This can be explained by the fact that journalistic texts allow writers to modify and update them (Valdeón, 2015). In this case, translators become less visible as the focus is placed on conveying information (Hernández Guerrero, 2006, 2009, 2022). 2.2.1 Interconnectedness of culture and journalistic translation Translation serves as a window into another culture and acts as a bridge that connects different cultures, languages and ways of thinking. Modern technologies have enhanced this connection, which allow words to traverse the globe and reach even the Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 9 most remote and enigmatic cultures. Nevertheless, contrary to the simplistic view that translation merely means finding equivalent words in another language, true translation involves much more. It is not always a direct transference of the original message; instead, it is a communication between two cultures (Quale, 2004) and requires a profound understanding of both the source and the target cultures. The interaction between translation and culture is captured in the concept of “cultural turn,” which is proposed by Bassnett and Lefevere (1998). This concept focuses on how culture influences translation within its specific context and history. It shifts translation from a purely textual activity to a broader cultural phenomenon, which indicates that what a translation should convey is not only the information but also the cultural context of the ST. Another relevant concept in translation “framing” (M. Baker, 2006), which refers to the way how translators shape the narrative and interpretation of a news text to align with certain perspectives or to serve particular interests. This concept shows how the same account can be presented in different ways depending on the perspective that translators adopt to approach it. This is particularly relevant in journalistic translation. Ideally, the translated news must arouse similar interest and evoke a similar response in the target audience as the ST, apart from transmitting the original message. This requires that translators not only possess broad knowledge of current affairs and specialized fields of the news matters, but also have a profound understanding of the cultural contexts of both the ST and the TT to avoid misinterpretations due to cultural insensitivity and make sure that the TT aligns with the cultural norms and values of the target audience. As Van Doorslaer (2015) points out, “[in journalistic translation,] translating and writing are brought together in one process that is both creative and re-creative at the same time” (p. 183). Moreover, journalistic translation is also linked with the process of gatekeeping, where translators act as mediators between institutional language and public diffusion (Valdeón, 2015). This important function, as noted by researchers such as Ang & Van Dyne (2008), involves selecting and transforming texts under the influence of both internal and external factors (Valdeón, 2022b). Valdeón (2020, 2022b) classifies gatekeeping in translation into two distinct levels, namely, the macro-level, which occurs before the start of the translation process to decide what to translate, and the micro-level, which “serves to select the parts of the original article that need to be adapted or omitted during the translational and editing process” (Valdeón, 2020, p. 118). Kalantari (2022) Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 16 5 “Nor can they disproportionately harm them in the course of pursuing legitimate military goals.” “Tampoco pueden afectarlos de manera desproporcionada durante la búsqueda de objetivos militares legítimos”. Transposition 6 “It was followed by the U.N. Charter of 1945, which clarified the ban on aggressive war, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and 1977.” “Fue seguido de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas en 1949 y 1977”. Reduction 7 “The law governing when states can use military force is known as ‘jus ad bellum’” “La legislación que rige cuándo los Estados pueden usar la fuerza militar se conoce como ius ad bellum” Borrowing 8 “[…] is a way to hold the complexity of war and the political questions that underlie it in clear focus, without losing sight of the shared humanity on all sides.” “[…] como lo hace el derecho, es una manera de fijar con claridad el centro de atención en la complejidad de la guerra y los aspectos políticos que hay detrás, sin perder de vista el humanitarismo compartido en todos los bandos”. Modulation 9 “[…] so as to make war as humane as possible.” “[…] Para lograr que la misma fuera lo menos cruel posible”. Modulation 10 “Civilians cannot be targeted for military purposes” “Los civiles no pueden ser el blanco de objetivos militares” Modulation 11 “Hamas could not be reached for comment, but Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas political official, said that the group ‘obeys all international and moral laws’ in an interview with The Economist on Oct. 10, three days after the attack on Israel.” “Aunque no se pudo contactar a Hamás para que hiciera comentarios, Moussa Abu Marzouk, un alto funcionario político del grupo, afirmó en una entrevista con The Economist el 10 de octubre, tres días después del ataque contra Israel, que esa organización ‘obedece todas las leyes internacionales y morales’”. Amplification Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 17 12 “[…] the Israeli Air Force was too stretched to fire the warning strikes— known as ‘roof knocks’” “[…] la Fuerza Aérea israelí estaba demasiado sobrecargada como para lanzar los ataques de advertencia—conocidos como ‘golpes de azotea’” Calque 13 “The question of what is proportional is a balancing test that has to be evaluated on a case-bycase basis” “El tema de lo que es proporcionado es algo que se tiene que evaluar caso por caso” Modulation, reduction Table 3. Translation techniques applied in Text 2 Example ST TT Technique(s) 14 “There’s still no house speaker. What happens now?” “¿Qué pasará ahora que la Cámara de Representantes de EE. UU. sigue sin presidente?” Transposition, adaptation, amplification 15 “The position of speaker of the House has been vacant since early October amid Republican feuding that has left the chamber paralyzed.” “El puesto de presidente de la Cámara de Representantes ha estado vacante desde principios de octubre en medio de la disputa entre los republicanos que ha paralizado la cámara”. Literal translation 16 “House Republicans have elected two nominees for the job since a hard-right clutch of lawmakers toppled Speaker Kevin McCarthy.” “Los republicanos de la Cámara eligieron a dos candidatos para el cargo desde que un pequeño grupo de legisladores de extrema derecha derrocó al presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Kevin McCarthy”. Amplification, adaptation 17 “But both men— Representatives Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 Republican, and Jim Jordan of Ohio” “Sin embargo, ambos hombres—los representantes Steve Scalise por Luisiana, el líder de la mayoría, y Jim Jordan por Ohio” Modulation 18 “In the days since, a flood of lawmakers have thrown their hats in the ring for the top leadership post.” “En los días que han pasado desde entonces, varios legisladores se han postulado para ese alto puesto de liderazgo”. Equivalence Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 18 19 “House Republicans met on Monday to hold a candidate forum for aspiring speaker nominees to present their visions for the conference”. “Los republicanos de la Cámara se reunieron el lunes para celebrar un foro de candidatos en el que los aspirantes a presidentes presentaron sus visiones”. Reduction 20 “Electing the next speaker” “La elección del próximo presidente de la Cámara de Representantes” Transposition, amplification 21 “The process of electing a new speaker is low-tech and transparent” “El proceso para elegir a un nuevo presidente de la Cámara de Representantes es transparente y un tanto rústico a nivel tecnológico” Amplification, permutation 22 “The process of electing a new speaker is low-tech and transparent, as the world learned in January during Mr. McCarthy’s once-in-a-century floor fight to win the gavel. The entire House of Representatives gathers in the chamber, and lawmakers cast their votes in alphabetical order, by standing up and yelling out a name. Whoever earns a majority of those present and participating wins the race.” “El proceso para elegir a un nuevo presidente de la Cámara de Representantes es transparente y un tanto rústico a nivel tecnológico, tal y como el mundo lo pudo ver en enero durante una lucha única en el siglo en la que McCarthy se batió en el pleno por ganar el mazo. Toda la Cámara se reúne en la sala y los legisladores emiten su voto por orden alfabético, poniéndose de pie y gritando un nombre. Gana quien obtenga la mayoría de los presentes y participantes”. Equivalence, reduction Table 4. Translation techniques applied in Text 3 Example ST TT Technique(s) 23 “‘I Love You. I Am Sorry’: One Jew, One Muslim and a Friendship Tested by War” “‘Te quiero. Lo siento. Aquí estoy’: una judía, una musulmana y una amistad desafiada por la Guerra” Amplification Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 19 24 - “Las directoras de un programa que promueve lazos entre distintas religiones temían que la violencia en Medio Oriente minara sus esfuerzos. Pasó lo contrario”. Amplification 25 “The two women sat knee to knee.” “Las dos mujeres se sentaron juntas”. Equivalence 26 “Aziza Hasan, a devout Muslim, looked out at the group gathered around her, spoke of the loved ones who had died in Israel and Gaza and began reciting the first chapter of the Quran.” “Aziza Hasan, musulmana devota, miró al grupo reunido a su alrededor, habló de los seres queridos que habían muerto en Israel y en la Franja de Gaza y empezó a recitar el primer capítulo del Corán”. Literal translation 27 “[…] sometimes Andrea can complete my thought or start a sentence and finish it for me.” “[…] a veces Andrea sabe qué estoy pensando o puede completar una frase que yo he empezado”. Transposition 28 “Ms. Hodos spent her post-college years living in Jerusalem” “Hodos pasó los años posteriores a la universidad en Jerusalén” Reduction, transposition 29 “Navigating through a world of opposite views is how it has always been for me” “Para mí siempre ha sido como navegar por un mundo de visiones opuestas” Permutation 30 “The work is gutwrenching and difficult, but I keep coming back because it is so important to my core.” “El trabajo es desgarrador y difícil, pero lo sigo haciendo porque es muy importante para mí”. Modulation 31 “I sometimes wonder why I am so devoted to something that seems so bleak, especially now.” “a veces me pregunto por qué me dedico tanto a algo que parece tan sombrío, sobre todo ahora”. Modulation 32 “Ms. Hodos’s eyes widen when she recalls a favored memory” “Los ojos de Hodos se abren de par en par cuando evoca un recuerdo entrañable” Amplification 33 “[…] whoever they are speaking with from the other side entrenches and gets defensive back quickly” “[…] Y su interlocutor se atrinchera y también se pone a la defensiva de inmediato” Modulation Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 20 Table 5. Translation techniques applied in Text 4 Example ST TT Technique(s) 34 “Developing World Sees Double Standard in West’s Actions in Gaza and Ukraine” “Gaza y Ucrania: el mundo en desarrollo ve una doble moral en el actuar de EE. UU. y sus aliados” Permutation, amplification 35 - “El gobierno de Biden busca unir al mundo para combatir las amenazas a la democracia, pero se enfrenta a un panorama complicado”. Amplification 36 “For 20 months, the Biden administration has attempted to stake out the moral high ground against Russia, condemning its brutal war on Ukraine for indiscriminately killing civilians.” “Durante 20 meses, el gobierno de Joe Biden ha buscado situarse en un plano de superioridad moral frente a Rusia, al condenar la guerra brutal contra Ucrania por matar civiles de manera indiscriminada”. Modulation, transposition 37 “That will make international cooperation on Ukraine, like sanctions enforcement on Russia, even harder.” “Eso dificultará aún más la cooperación internacional para Ucrania, como la aplicación de sanciones a Rusia”. Modulation, permutation 38 “The Gaza war will only worsen the global situation, he said, threatening higher oil prices after the Ukraine war already slowed wheat exports.” “En su opinión, la guerra en Gaza solo empeorará la situación mundial, pues amenaza con provocar el aumento de los precios del petróleo, cuando la guerra en Ucrania ya frenó las exportaciones de trigo”. Permutation, transposition, amplification 39 “President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil has criticized U.S. weapons supplies to Ukraine as “encouraging” the war but blamed both sides for the conflict and offered to mediate.” “El presidente de Brasil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, criticó el suministro estadounidense de armas a Ucrania por “alentar” la guerra, pero culpó a ambas partes del conflicto y se ofreció a fungir como mediador”. Amplification Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 21 40 “Brazil, as president of the U.N. Security Council this month” “Brasil, como la nación que preside el Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas este mes” Transposition, amplification 41 “The Palestinian cause has long thrived in the Global South, so the Gaza war has only added to resentments in Africa, Asia and Latin America that the West is treating Ukraine as a special case because it is a European war.” “La causa palestina siempre ha tenido un fuerte apoyo en el sur global, así que la guerra en Gaza no ha hecho más que acrecentar el resentimiento en África, Asia y América Latina ante el hecho de que Estados Unidos y sus aliados traten a Ucrania como un caso especial por tratarse de una guerra europea”. Modulation, transposition, amplification 42 “[…] drafted a Gaza humanitarian cease-fire resolution” “[…] redactó una resolución de cese al fuego humanitario en Gaza” Calque 43 “‘It is a huge headache for Western diplomats because they have spent a lot of time this year trying to charm the Global South,’ said Richard Gowan, the U.N. director for the International Crisis Group.” “‘Se trata de un gran dolor de cabeza para los diplomáticos occidentales, que han pasado mucho tiempo este año tratando de seducir al sur global’, comentó Richard Gowan, director de las Naciones Unidas para el International Crisis Group”. Literal translation 44 “Rightly or wrongly, this is something we must deal with” “Tengan o no razón, esto es algo que debemos afrontar” Modulation Table 6. Translation techniques applied in Text 5 Example ST TT Technique(s) 45 “Even With Gaza Under Siege, Some Are Imagining Its Reconstruction” “Gaza continúa en guerra. Algunos ya imaginan su reconstrucción” Modulation 46 “Yet at the meeting in London, members of the international establishment […]” “Sin embargo, en la reunión de Londres, miembros de la clase dirigente internacional […]” Modulation Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 22 47 “Representatives for U.S. government agencies” “Representantes de organismos gubernamentales de Estados Unidos” Amplification 48 “The plan centers on a series of major projects, including a deepwater port, a desalination plant to provide drinking water, an online health care service and a transportation corridor connecting Gaza with the West Bank.” “El plan se centra en una serie de grandes proyectos, como un puerto de aguas profundas, una planta desalinizadora para suministrar agua potable, un servicio de atención sanitaria en línea y un corredor de transporte que conecte Gaza con Cisjordania”. Literal translation 49 “Who might deliver such funding is among the largest variables.” “Una de las variables más importantes es determinar quién podría aportar esa financiación”. Permutation, amplification, modulation 50 “The imperative for development in Gaza predates the current war.” “La necesidad imperiosa de desarrollo en Gaza es anterior a la guerra actual”. Modulation 51 “These include the erection of a cutting-edge soccer stadium and the elevation of the existing soccer team to a more internationally competitive level” “Entre ellas figuran la construcción de un estadio de fútbol de vanguardia y la elevación del actual equipo de fútbol a un nivel más competitivo internacionalmente” Modulation, transposition As shown in Tables 2-6, various translation techniques have been identified in the translation of the five news texts under analysis. Based on the frequency of the application of each of them, these techniques include the following: literal translation, modulation, amplification, transposition, permutation, reduction, equivalence, calque, adaptation and borrowing. The most frequently implemented translation technique is literal translation, as it is the case across different types of translation. Only one example from each text is provided due to space constraints. As illustrated in examples 1, 15, 26, 43 and 48, literal translation is a word-for-word translation, which creates an identical copy of the ST in the TT, which means that the sentence structure, the word choice, the perspective as well as the meaning of the ST are maintained in the TT. Modulation is the second most applied technique in the translation of the five texts, with a total of 18 cases. It consists of changing the point of view or the way how Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 23 the message is expressed in the TT to better align with the linguistic and cultural norms of the TL while maintain the original message of the ST. For instances, in example 3, “what matters most” is modulated to “los aspectos más importantes,” which is a more common expression in Spanish when compared to the literal translation “lo que más importa.” Similarly, in example 10, the ST “Civilians cannot be targeted for military purposes” is translated into “Los civiles no pueden ser el blanco de objetivos militares” rather than the literal translation “Los civiles no pueden ser atacados con fines militares.” In the ST, the focus is on the prohibition of targeting civilians for any military purposes while in the TT, it is shifted to emphasize the civilians as the direct object of the military action. This translation highlights the protection of civilians in a more direct manner for the Spanish-speaking audiences. Furthermore, in example 13, the expression “a balancing text” in the ST, whose literally translation is “una prueba de equilibrio,” is modulated to “algo,” omitting a large part of the message by replacing it to a single word of a more general nature. In this case, it appears that more importance is given to the matter in the ST when compared to the TT. In example 17, the expression “the No. 2 Republican” is translated into Spanish as “el líder de la mayoría” instead of “el republicano no 2.” This changes the emphasis from a specific ranking in the ST to a more general role in the TT, which is a common way of referring to prominent figures in political contexts in Spanish. The Spanish term implied a high-ranking position, which is more immediately recognizable for the target audience. Example 30 provides another good example of how modulation is applied to adjust expressions to fit the idiomatic and cultural norms of the TL. In this example, the phrase “gut-wrenching” implies a strong emotional reason, which is captured in the translation “desgarrador” while being more commonly used in Spanish. Moreover, the expression “keep coming back” is translated as “lo sigo haciendo” (“I keep doing it”). The phrase in the ST implies a continuous return to the work due to its importances while the translation adopts a more naturally sounded expression in the TL while reflecting the same concept. “To my core” is translation as “para mí,” which is a more direct translation that conveys the same meaning when compared to the literal translation “para mi núcleo.” In example 33, the phrase “whoever they are speaking with from the other side” is translated into Spanish as “su interlocutor.” While the expression in the ST implies a long distance between the people who are connected, and in other words, a less direct reference to the person being spoken with, the Spanish translation provides a more straightforward and conventional term in the TL. This change makes the TT more concise and clearer for the target audience. In example 44, the expression Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 24 “Rightly or wrongly” is an idiomatic expression in English which implied that the matter is a fact although it may or may not be morally correct. In the TT, it is translated as “Tengan o no razón,” which conveys the same meaning but in a way that is more familiar to the Spanish-speaking audience. In the last example (i.e., example 51), the word “erection” is modulated to “construcción” which sounds more natural in Spanish: in Spanish, “construcción” is more commonly used in the context of building projects when compared to “erección” which is a more specific and formal term. Amplification is another key technique in the translation of five selected news texts, with a total of 17 instances identified. This might explain why the Spanish translations tend to be longer than the English news texts. This technique is applied to make the message reach the target audience as clearly as possible by providing additional information. In example 3, the expression “los aspectos” in the TT proves more specific information when compared to the abstract and generalized expression “what matters most” in the ST. In example 4, “the rules of humanitarian law” is expanded to “las reglas de derecho internacional humanitario”; the word “internacional” is added to the translation to provide a more precise context of the information. This addition helps to make sure that the Spanish-speaking audience fully understands that the law in question is international in scope. Similarly, in examples 14 and 16, the expression “de la Cámara de Representantes (de EE. UU.)” is added to the Spanish translation of “House” to clarify that “House” refers to the U.S. House of Representative, as this concept might not be clear to the Spanish-speaking audiences. While this concept seems straightforward to American people, the Spanish-speaking audience might not immediately understand the reference to the U.S. legislative body and thus, fails to understand the information. By providing this additional information, in the TT, the meaning is clarified. These two examples show how the translator takes into account the cultural background of the target audience and provide additional information to ensure that the information is transmitted successfully. Another representative case of the amplification is example 34, in which “West’s Actions” is translated as “el actuar de EE. UU. y sus aliados.” This addition further specifies that “West” refers specifically to the U.S. and its allies, since it can be a general term in English otherwise; by providing such additional information, the translator can guarantee that the target audience understands who exactly is referred to. Transposition is the fourth most applied technique in the translation of the selected texts. 11 cases are identified in total. It changes the grammatical units of the ST while maintaining the original message. In example 5, the phrase “disproportionately harm Universidad de Valladolid Ioana Cerasela Pintilie 25 them” is translated into “afectarlos de manera desproporcionada.” The word “disproportionately” is changed from an adverb in the ST to an adjective phrase “de manera desproporcionada” in the TT. Similarly, “pursuing legitimate military goals” is translated as “durante la búsqueda de objetivos militares legítimos.” The phrase structure changes from a participial phrase to a prepositional phrase, which is more in line with the grammatical norms in Spanish. In example 14, the term “house speaker,” which is the direct object in the ST, is translated as “la Cámara de Representantes de EE.UU.” becomes the subject, and “president” is part of a subordinate clause. This change reflects a shift of focus of the term. In example 20, the phrase “electing the next speaker” is translated into Spanish as “La elección del próximo presidente de la Cámara de Representantes”; the word “electing” changes from a verb to a noun “la elección.” In example 27, there is a change in the grammatical category of the word “thought,” which is a noun in the ST. In the Spanish TT, it becomes the verb phrase “estoy pensando.” Moreover, the actions “start a sentence” and “finish it for me” in the ST are combined and translated into “completer una frase que yo he empezado” in the TT. Also, in the last part of the sentence, the pronoun “me” in the phrase “for me” in the ST is translated as “I” as a subject pronoun in the TT. In this case, the sentence structure is mostly changed. In example 36, the word “indiscriminately” goes from being an adverb to being an adjective in the phrase “de manera indiscriminada.” Another instance of transposition is found in example 38, the word “higher” in the phrase “higher oil prices” in the ST is translated as “‘el aumento’ de los precios de petróleo” in the TT, which is a noun. What is more, the verb “threatening” is in the gerund form in the ST, but in the TT, it is in the present simple form “amenaza.” In example 40, the noun “president” in the ST is translated as a verb “preside” in the TT. Permutation involves changing the order of elements or phrases to better suit the norms in the TL while maintaining the original meaning. A total of 7 cases are identified in the selected text. In example 2, “But international law offers a framework for how to analyze what is happening” is translated as “El derecho internacional, sin embargo, nos ofrece una base para poder analizar lo que está sucediendo.” In this case, the structure and word order in the ST are changed to align with the Spanish grammar and style and improve the flow in the TL. In the same example, “the consequences of Israel’s siege and airstrikes on the crowded Gaza Strip, home to millions of civilians, continue to unfold” is translated into “las consecuencias del asedio y los bombardeos de Israel en la Franja