Analysing Texts:

translation and
language issues
1 Migrant crisis, Lampedusa
 Text to be analysed/translated
Migrant crisis: UN official Philippe Douste-Blazy reveals the harrowing
sights he encountered among refugees arriving on Lampedusa
Mr Douste-Blazy has witnessed dead bodies, men drowning and women miscarrying, but he urges politicians
not to underestimate our caring nature

As a senior United Nations official, Philippe Douste-Blazy has seen his share of harrowing
sights. But nothing had prepared even him for the scenes he encountered while on a fact-
finding mission to the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, off the coast of Sicily.
On his first trip out with Italian coastguards, he found himself staring into the hold of a people
traffickers boat with more than 50 dead migrants on board, including women and babies. On
his second, he saw men drowning on a sinking boat and women suffering miscarriages.
People need to see the full horror of whats going on, and how desperate these refugees and
migrants are. Then I am sure they will want to help, he told The Independent. The idea
spread by politicians is of invasion, mass migration. The mood that has been created is one of
xenophobia, of nationalism, of fear. But, you know, these populists should be careful; the
people of Europe are more decent and humane than they think, and they will not like being
used for political ends.
Mr Douste-Blazy, a UN under-secretary general who is the organisations special adviser for
development, was in London after 10 days on Lampedusa, witnessing at close quarters one of
the grimmest aspects of the migration crisis that is shocking Europe. The latest example of
the chaos the crisis has produced came when Hungarian riot police were forced to evacuate
and close the international rail station in Budapest to prevent hundreds of desperate refugees
and other migrants trying to board trains to Germany, where they hoped to find a safe haven.
Figures newly released by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) showed this was
the largest migration of people in Europe since the Second World War.
 Text analysed: grammar, lexis, culture-related
Migrant crisis: UN official Philippeissues
Douste-Blazy reveals the harrowing
sights he encountered among refugees arriving on Lampedusa
Mr Douste-Blazy has witnessed dead bodies, men drowning and women miscarrying, but he urges politicians
not to underestimate our caring nature

As a senior United Nations official, Philippe Douste-Blazy has seen his share of harrowing
sights. But nothing had prepared even him for the scenes he encountered while on a fact-
finding mission to the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, off the coast of Sicily.
On his first trip out with Italian coastguards, he found himself staring into the hold of a people
traffickers boat with more than 50 dead migrants on board, including women and babies. On
his second, he saw men drowning on a sinking boat and women suffering miscarriages.
People need to see the full horror of whats going on, and how desperate these refugees and
migrants are. Then I am sure they will want to help, he told The Independent. The idea
spread by politicians is of invasion, mass migration. The mood that has been created is one of
xenophobia, of nationalism, of fear. But, you know, these populists should be careful; the
people of Europe are more decent and humane than they think, and they will not like being
used for political ends.
Mr Douste-Blazy, a UN under-secretary general who is the organisations special adviser for
development, was in London after 10 days on Lampedusa, witnessing at close quarters one of
the grimmest aspects of the migration crisis that is shocking Europe. The latest example of
the chaos the crisis has produced came when Hungarian riot police were forced to evacuate
and close the international rail station in Budapest to prevent hundreds of desperate refugees
and other migrants trying to board trains to Germany, where they hoped to find a safe haven.
Figures newly released by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) showed this was
the largest migration of people in Europe since the Second World War.
Steps
1)Being aware of the text you are going
to translate (Context of situation,
Context of culture, Genre, Text Type)
2)Find relevant keywords (and their
related translations)
3)Find any possible translation-related
issue (conveying sense from a SL to a
TL)
4)Translate
Being aware of the text you are going to
translate
This text is taken from a UK online newspaper,
The Independent. It describes an event that does
not take place in UK, though it involves Europe.
In detail, an official from an international
organisation (UN) describes the tragic scenes
involving migrants and refugees he has
experienced, and warns politicians that they
should not take advantage of this situation and
of the people of Europe for their political aims.
Translation-related issues
Though the text is meant for a domestic
audience, the audience should or can be
familiar with the facts described in the article
and with some culture-specific elements. If
the target text shows the same cultural-
related gap, then, the same translation
strategy can be applied, otherwise different
translation strategies should be used.
Find relevant keywords (and their
related translations)
Migrant crisis

Desperate people (refugees and/or

migrants)

UN commitment

Politics
 Translation
Migrant crisis: UN Crisi dei migranti: lufficiale ONU
official Philippe Philippe Douste-Blazy rivela/racconta
le scene strazianti/gli spettacoli
Douste-Blazy reveals strazianti che ha vissuto/visto/a cui
the harrowing sights assistito tra i rifugiati a Lampedusa
he encountered Douste-Blazy ha assistito alla vista di/ha
among refugees visto cadaveri, uomini annegare e donne
arriving on abortire, ma sollecita i politici a non
sottovalutare la nostra
Lampedusa
premurosa/generosa/caritatevole
natura / la natura/attitudine
Mr Douste-Blazy has witnessed dead
bodies, men drowning and women
caritatevole/premurosa degli europei
 Translation
As a senior United In qualit di ufficiale senior/pi
Nations official, Philippe anziano delle Nazioni Unite, Philippe
Douste-Blazy ha visto la sua buona
Douste-Blazy has seen
fetta/parte/dose/buon numero di
his share of harrowing
spettacoli strazianti. Ma niente poteva
sights. But nothing had prepararlo/Ma nemmeno lui era
prepared even him for preparato alle scene a cui ha dovuto
the scenes he assistere durante una missione di
encountered while on a verifica/perlustrazione/controllo
fact-finding mission to sullisola di Lampedusa, al largo delle
the Mediterranean island coste della Sicilia.
 Translation
On his first trip out with Durante il suo primo viaggio/Durante
Italian coastguards, he la sua prima missione con la guardia
found himself staring into costiera Italiana/ con i guardacoste
italiani si trovato nella stiva /
the hold of a people
rimasto basito alla vista di una stiva di
traffickers boat with
una nave di trafficanti di persone con
more than 50 dead pi di 50 migranti morti a bordo, tra
migrants on board, cui donne e bambini. Nel suo secondo
including women and viaggio/nella sua seconda missione, ha
babies. On his second, he visto uomini annegare su una barca
saw men drowning on a che affondava e donne abortire.
 Translation
People need to see the full
horror of whats going on, and
how desperate these refugees
and migrants are. Then I am
sure they will want to help, he
told The Independent. The idea
spread by politicians is of
invasion, mass migration. The
mood that has been created is
one of xenophobia, of
nationalism, of fear.
But, you know, these populists
should be careful; the people of
Europe are more decent and
Le persone hanno bisogno di vedere
lorrore che sta avendo luogo (qui), e di
quanto siano disperati questi migranti e
rifugiati. Son sicuro che allora vorranno
aiutarli, ha dichiarato (Douste-Blazy) al
quotidiano britannico The Independent.
Lidea diffusa dai politici di invasione,
migrazione di massa. Lo spirito/lumore
creato/instaurato di xenofobia,
nazionalismo, paura. Ma questi populisti
dovrebbero fare attenzione: gli europei sono
pi dignitosi e umani/benevoli di quanto
pensino, e a loro non piacer essere usati per
fini politici.
 Translation
Mr Douste-Blazy, a UN Douste-Blazy, sottosegretario
under-secretary general generale dellONU e
who is the consigliere speciale per lo
organisations special sviluppo dellorganizzazione,
adviser for era a Londra dopo 10 giorni a
development, was in Lampedusa, dove stato
London after 10 days on testimone in prima persona di
/dove ha vissuto a distanza
Lampedusa, witnessing
ravvicinata uno degli aspetti pi
at close quarters one of
cupi della crisi migratoria che
the grimmest aspects of
sta scioccando lEuropa.
 Translation
The latest example of the
chaos the crisis has
produced came when
Hungarian riot police were
forced to evacuate and
close the international rail
station in Budapest to
prevent hundreds of
desperate refugees and
other migrants trying to
board trains to Germany,
Lultimo esempio del caos che ha
prodotto la crisi avvenuto/ha avuto
luogo quando la polizia anti-
sommossa ungherese stata
forzata/costretta ad evacuare e a
chiudere la stazione internazionale di
Budapest per impedire che centinaia
di rifugiati disperati e altri migranti
potessero salire su treni diretti in
Germania, dove speravano di poter
trovare un rifugio/porto/approdo
sicuro.
 Translation
Figures newly Dati pubblicati di recente
released by the dallOrganizzazione
Internazionale per le Migrazioni
International
(International Organisation for
Organisation for Migration, IOM) mostrano che
Migration (IOM) si tratta della migrazione pi
showed this was the grande/importante in Europa
largest migration of dalla Seconda Guerra Mondiale
people in Europe ad oggi.
since the Second
Translation
 Language issues
Some verbs and expressions need a
reformulation in terms of lexis and/or syntax
when translated from a source language (SL)
into a target language (TL). Here are some
examples taken from the text:

Mr Douste-Blazy has witnessed dead bodies

= Douste-Blazy ha assistito alla vista di/ha
visto cadaveri
 Language issues
women suffering miscarriages

Donne che subivano aborti/ donne abortire

 Language issues
To close the international rail station in Budapest to prevent
hundreds of desperate refugees and other migrants trying to
board trains to Germany

Di chiudere la stazione internazionale di Budapest per per

impedire/per evitare che centinaia di rifugiati disperati e altri
migranti potessero salire su treni diretti in Germania
 Language issues
Off the coast of Sicily
 Language issues

Off the coast of Sicily

 Language issues
UN under-secretary general =
Sottosegretario generale delle Nazioni
Unite (NOT Generale sottosegretario
delle Nazioni Unite)
 Language issues
Translation of organisations names:
International Organisation for Migration

Is there an equivalent? If so, translate

it. Otherwise, you may keep the
original name and the related acronym.
 Language issues
Translation of organisations names:
International Organisation for Migration