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Article published In:
Target
Vol. 21:2 (2009) ► pp.265–288

Investigating a double translation of culture

The English-Maori classic postcolonial text Potiki and its German translation

| School of Languages and Social Sciences, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand

This article uses Mediated Discourse Analysis (Norris & Jones 2005) to investigate a dual translation: One, the English-Maori original Potiki by Patricia Grace (1986), a translation of Maori culture that issues a complex postcolonial challenge and neocolonial protest; and two, the German version of the book translated by Martini-Honus and Martini (2005 edition). Findings indicate that the book’s essence embedded in a complex interweaving of Maori myths and biblical parallels has not been recognized by professional reviewers of the German translation and that certain mistranslations distort important messages from the original. All readers of translations potentially contribute to indigenous people regaining their voice, but only if these readers can decipher the original actions and discourses in their languages. This article delivers a key to understanding Potiki, a classic text widely used in teaching and already translated into at least five languages, i.e. Dutch, Finnish, French, German and Spanish.

Keywords: Mediated Discourse Analysis, Mediated Action, Cultural Tools, Maori Culture, Postcolonial
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Method
  • 3.Data
  • 4.Data analysis
    • 4.1Laminations of practices in Potiki
    • 4.2One event, two sites of engagement, and agency
    • 4.3Taboo language and power relations
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 16 December 2009
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.21.2.03woh
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