“Para resistir la crisis y progresar” – Readings and Translations of Cuban Political Discourse

Abstract

Political discourse is situated spatially and temporally on constantly shifting (political) terrain; it is ideologically driven and is embedded in, and a reflection of, a complex web of norms and conventions, including historical, cultural and linguistic ones. Among its strategic functions are coercion, resistance or opposition, and legitimization or delegitimization. This last function is shared by the media which, in reframing and representing statements and events, also contributes to legitimizing and delegitimizing ideas, policies, individuals and groups. And, when political statements originating in a foreign country are reported in Canadian and U.S. media, translators are called upon to participate in this reframing. Media reports of political discourse therefore provide an important source for examining interpretations and reinterpretations. This paper examines statements made by Cuban politicians, and published in English-language media in Canada and the United States. It explores the ways in which Cuba's stance toward the recent economic crisis reproduced pre-established discourse around the ongoing U.S. embargo. An analysis of translations of these statements reveals evidence of the delegitimization of Cuban discourse through editorial and translation strategies.