Abstract:
This talk will present different approaches to translating the pandemic and public health information to Manitobans during the height of the Covid-19 crisis (2020-2022). First, I examine the Government of Manitoba’s approach on its website and its associated social media accounts, notably YouTube. Although the Government of Manitoba tried to account for its population’s diverse demolinguistic profile, the analysis reveals some shortcomings, including, though not limited to, a disjointed user experience, lag time between the publication of English and French public health information, and culturally homogenous messaging. Second, I examine some of the citizen-driven approaches to crisis communication on social platforms that, arguably, were far more effective in reaching different constituents, notably younger cohorts who turned to platforms like Instagram and TikTok to obtain public health information. From these two analyses, I demonstrate how a concerted approach between governments and social media creators can be a more effective strategy to engage with different audiences, including those that do not regularly consult outlets that are more ‘traditional’. This concerted approach is not completely novel: although the Government of Manitoba did not officially mobilize a creator-driven strategy in terms of public health communication, other governments and jurisdictions did and these examples can be illuminating for future crisis communication strategy. Although the talk does focus on Manitoba and the Canadian context, I draw parallels with Hong Kong and other jurisdictions to compare and contrast key takeaways. The talk will also address some of the methodological, ethical, and social dimensions of undertaking social media research at a time of crisis.
About the Speaker:
Renée Desjardins (pronouns: she/her) is an associate professor at the Université de Saint-Boniface in Winnipeg (Treaty 1) and a visiting professor at the McGill University School of Continuing Studies. She is the author of Translation and Social Media: In Theory, in Training, and in Professional Practice (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and the co-editor of When Translation Goes Digital: Case Studies and Critical Reflections (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). Her most recent work examines translation in the creator, influencer, and gig economies. She currently holds two national research grants from the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada: an Insight grant for a project titled: TikTokers, Instagrammers, Podcasters, Livestreamers – and Translators: Translation in the Creator Economy, and a Connection grant as a team member for the LINET, a French-language research group focused on translator education, translation pedagogy, and new technology.
Moderator: Dr. Clara Chuan Yu (Hong Kong Baptist University)
Selected References:
Denisova, A. (2019). Internet Memes and Society: Social, Cultural, and Political Contexts. Routledge.
Desjardins, R., Laczko, M.(forthcoming). *Translation and pandemic communication on Instagram: an analysis of three Manitoban accounts. Dans Giannakopoulou, V. and Sütiste, E. (dir.), Transmedia in Translation and Transculturation. John Benjamins.
Desjardins, R. (2022). Hello/Bonjour won’t cut it in a health crisis: an analysis of language policy and translation strategy across Manitoban websites and social media during COVID-19. In Lee, T.K. & Wang, D. (Eds.) (2022), Translation and Social Media Communication in the Age of the Pandemic. Routledge.
Federici, F.M. & O’Brien, S. (Eds.). (2019). Translation in Cascading Crises. Routledge.
González, E., Stachowiak-Szymczak, K., Amanatidou, D. (Eds.). (2023). Community Translation: Research and Practice. Routledge.
Hunt, M., O’Brien, S., Cadwell, P., and O’Mathúna, D.P. (2019). “Ethics at the Intersection of Crisis Translation and Humanitarian Innovation.” Journal of Humanitarian Affairs 1 (3): 23–32.
O’Brien, S. (2022). “Crisis Translation: A Snapshot in Time.” INContext 2 (1): 84-108.
Ødemark, J., Fraas Henrichsen, G., Engebretsen, E. (2021). “Knowledge Translation.” In Susam-Saraeva, S. and Spišiaková, (Eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Health. pp.149–61. Routledge.
Wang, D. & King Lee, T. (Eds.). (2022). Translation and Social Media Communication in the Age of the Pandemic. Routledge.