Edited by Ovidi Carbonell i Cortés and Esther Monzó-Nebot
[Benjamins Translation Library 157] 2021
► pp. 227–252
This chapter uses corpus methods to explore how distance and power asymmetries are mediated by EU institutions in their website netspeak – the digital Eurolect – and subsequently reflected in Polish translations against the background of Polish domestic institutions’ websites. At the policy level, the selective translation of EU content into only procedural languages builds asymmetries between official languages. The study analysed two dimensions of translations: (1) grade of specialisation (EU terminology, EUese), and (2) engagement strategies positioning institutions and citizens in a discourse. EU and domestic websites show preferences for different types of engagement strategies, with the former oriented at downplaying power but maintaining a respectful distance while the latter decreasing distance through directness, personalisation, and informalisation.