Translation as a Political Act: Ideological Shifts in the Translation of Political Texts from German Into Slovak

Preklad ako politický akt: Ideologické posuny v preklade politických textov z nemčiny do slovenčiny

Katarína SERESOVÁ 

https://doi.org/10.53465/JAP.2025.9788022552806.472-481

 

Abstract: The translation of political texts is a linguistic act that can transcend the purely linguistic framework in terms of meaning. This paper analyzes the ideological shifts that occur when translating political discourse from German into Slovak. The aim is to identify the ways in which translation conveys not only linguistic content, but also the value frameworks, rhetorical strategies, and power positions embedded in the original text. The analysis is based on a selected corpus of German political speeches and media outputs (e.g., statements by the highest representatives of the Federal Republic of Germany and representatives of political parties) that were published in the Slovak media or officially interpreted. The starting point is the approaches of critical translation studies (Venuti, Schäffner) and discourse analysis (Fairclough, Wodak), with particular attention paid to the categories of lexical shifts, framing, and modal changes. The findings indicate that the translation of political discourse can lead to shifts in meaning that are not ideologically neutral. These shifts influence the interpretation of the original text in the target language and can thus shape public debate on political issues in a different cultural and media environment.

Keywords: political discourse, lexical shifts, framing, modality, critical translation studies, critical discourse analysis

Kľúčové slová: politický diskurz, lexikálne posuny, rámcovanie, modalita, kritická translatológia, kritická diskurzívna analýza

Fulltext: PDF

Language of the paper: Slovak

Online publication date: 23 December 2025

Pages: 472 – 481

 

ISBN: 978-80-225-5280-6 (online), 978-80-225-5279-0

ISSN: 2729-8973 (online), 2729-8981

Publisher: Bratislava University of Economics and Business, Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm

 

How to cite this conference proceedings paper (APA 7^th Edition):

Seresová, K. (2025). Preklad ako politický akt: Ideologické posuny v preklade politických textov z nemčiny do slovenčiny. In R. Štefančík (Ed.), Jazyk a politika. Na pomedzí lingvistiky a politológie X (pp. 472–481). Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm. https://doi.org/10.53465/JAP.2025.9788022552806.472-481