Still Two Solitudes? Translation of Manifestos and Political Platforms in Quebec

How can translation reinforce or challenge the dominant discourse circulating in a society? In Canada, a divide separates French from English Canadians and stereotypes about these two solitudes tend to be echoed in media discourse. By examining how English newspapers report on two text genresmanifestos and platformsproduced in Quebec, this thesis contributes to the literature on ideology and translation, specifically studies that employ Critical Discourse Analysis. Focusing on rhetorical features of manifestos, the main objective of this research is to test a methodology for analyzing translation shifts. Between French and English versions, features related to identity revealed the most variation across each text genre. Empirically, this analysis also demonstrates that for English newspapers the national question obscures other issues in Quebec politics. Overall, this research confirms that translation of political texts can serve to reproduce stereotypes that maintain unequal power relations between dominant and non-dominant groups.