Translating (im)personalisation in corporate discourse. A corpus-based analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility reports in English and Italian


Abstract


Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports constitute a relatively new form of corporate disclosure used by companies to present their values and philosophy with respect to socially relevant themes on which they may have an impact, mainly the environment, the community and employees. Companies thus publish CSR reports to communicate with a variety of stakeholders and provide information about their sustainability initiatives, with the ultimate aim of building, reinforcing, and promoting their corporate image. Personalisation plays an important role in the discursive construction of identity and in the definition of relationships between social actors. The personification of the company – obtained through 1st person plural deixis within corporate reports – is a very powerful rhetorical tool to convey a collective subject which takes responsibility for the actions and results it is giving account of, indicating and enacting a specific relationship with the reader. As a sociopragmatic item, however, it is largely language/culture-dependent, and thus represents an interesting locus to observe the impact of translation strategies on the meaning conveyed to the target audience. This paper sets out to analyse how CSR reports translated into English from Italian compare – as regards personalisation – with reports originally produced in English, in order to detect differences in the way corporate identity is construed and conveyed. The study is based on a bilingual corpus which includes translated English reports and their Italian source texts, as well as comparable originals in English and Italian. Corroborating previous research conducted on similar genres, the study shows that (im)personalisation patterns are considerably different in original and translated English CSR reports, largely due to a tendency for the latter to reproduce Italian conventions in this form of specialised discourse.

DOI Code: 10.1285/i22390359v29p205

Keywords: corporate discourse; sociopragmatics; (im)personalisation; translation; corpus linguistics

References


Aiezza M.C. 2015, “We may face the risks” … “risks that could adversely affect our face.” A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of modality markers in CSR reports, in “Studies in Communication Sciences” 15 [1], pp. 68-76.

Anthony L. 2014, AntConc (3.2.4) [Computer Software], Waseda University, Tokyo.

http://www.laurenceanthony.net/software (30.4.2018).

Baker M. 1993, Corpus Linguistics and Translation Studies – Implications and Applications, in Baker M., Francis G. and Tognini-Bonelli E. (eds.), Text and Technology – In Honour of John Sinclair, John Benjamins, Amsterdam/Philadelphia, pp. 233-250.

Bargiela-Chiappini F. and Harris S. 1997, Managing Language: The Discourse of Corporate Meetings, John Benjamins, Amsterdam/Philadelphia.

Bashtovaya V. 2014, CSR reporting in the United States and Russia, in “Social Responsibility Journal” 10 [1], pp. 68-84.

Bhatia A. 2012, The corporate social responsibility report: The hybridization of a ‘confused’ genre (2007–2011), in “IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication” 55 [3], pp. 221-238.

Bondi M. and Yu D. 2017, “I highly commend its efforts to ensure power supply”: Exploring the pragmatics of textual voices in Chinese and English CSR reports, in Janebová M., Lapshinova-Koltunski E. and Martinková M. (eds.), Contrasting English and Other Languages through Corpora, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle, pp. 218-247.

Bondi M. 2016a, CSR reports in English and Italian: Focus on generic structure and importance markers, in Garzone G., Heaney D. and Riboni G. (eds.), Language for Specific Purposes. Research and Translation across Cultures and Media, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle, pp. 168-199.

Bondi M. 2016b, The future in reports: Prediction commitment and legitimization in corporate social responsibility (CSR), in “Pragmatics and Society” 7 [1], pp. 57-81.

Caliendo G. and Magistro E. 2009, The human face of the European Union: A critical study, in “CADAAD Journal” 3 [2], pp. 176-202.

Cap P. 2005, Language and legitimization: Developments in the proximization model of political discourse analysis, in “Lodz Papers in Pragmatics” 1, pp 7-36.

Castagnoli S. and Magistro E. 2018, Reshaping corporate image through translation. A corpus-assisted study, paper presented at the Corpora and Discourse (CAD 2018) international conference held at Lancaster University, Lancaster (UK), 22-24 June 2018.

Catellani A. 2015, Visual aspects of CSR reports: A semiotic and chronological case analysis, in De Melo A., Somerville I. and Gonçalves G. (eds.), Organisational & Strategic Communication Research: European Perspectives II. CECS – Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Sociedade, Universidade do Minho, Braga, pp. 129-149.

Catenaccio P. 2011a, Social and environmental reports. A diachronic perspective on an emerging genre, in Garzone G. and Gotti M. (eds.), Discourse, Communication and the Enterprise. Genres and Trends, Peter Lang, Bern, pp. 169-192.

Catenaccio P. 2011b, Green advertising and corporate CSR communication: Hybrid discourses, mutant genres, in Sarangi S., Polese V. and Caliendo G. (eds.), Genre(s) on the Move. Hybridization and Discourse Change in Specialized Communication, ESI, Napoli, pp. 353-372.

Catenaccio P. 2012a, Understanding CSR Discourse. Insights from Linguistics and Discourse Analysis, Arcipelago, Milano.

Catenaccio P. 2012b, The ‘value-orientation’ of business discourse: The role of corporate social responsibility in business communication. A case study, in Heynderickx P., Dieltjens S., Jacobs G., Gillaerts P. and de Groot E. (eds.), The Language Factor in International Business: New Perspectives on Research, Teaching and Practice. Peter Lang, Bern, pp. 247-265.

Catenaccio P. 2013, The discursive encoding of changing business values in CSR reports: A corpus-based investigation, in Poppi F. and Cheng W. (eds.), The Three Waves of Globalization, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, pp. 56-76.

Catenaccio P. 2014, The evolution of business discourse and the emergence of the corporate social responsibility paradigm: An investigation of CSR reports, in Evangelisti Allori P., Bateman J.A. and Bhatia V.K. (eds), Evolution in Genre. Emergence, Variation, Multimodality, Peter Lang, Bern, pp. 19-44.

Catenaccio P. 2017, Markers of trust: Epistemic adverbs of certainty and restrictive adverbs in CSR reports, in Salvi R. and Turnbull J. (eds.), The Discursive Construal of Trust in the Dynamics of Knowledge Diffusion, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, pp. 88-107.

Catenaccio P. and Degano C. 2011, Corporate social responsibility as a key to the representation of corporate identity: The case of Novartis, in Evangelisti Allori P., Bateman J.A. and Bhatia V.K. (eds), Evolution in Genre. Emergence, Variation, Multimodality, Peter Lang, Bern, pp. 79-102.

Chesterman A. 2004, Beyond the particular, in Mauranen A. and Kujamäki P. (eds.), Translation Universals. Do they exist?, John Benjamins, Amsterdam/Philadelphia, pp. 33-49.

Englund Dimitrova B. and Tiselius E. 2014, Retrospection in interpreting and translation: explaining the process?, in “MonTI” Special Issue – Minding Translation, pp. 177-200.

Fairclough N. 1993, Critical discourse analysis and the marketization of public discourse: The universities, in “Discourse and Society” 4 [2], pp. 133-168.

Fairclough N. 1995, Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language, Longman, London.

Fairclough N. 2001, Language and power (2nd edition), Longman, London.

Fairclough N. and Wodak R. 1997, Critical discourse analysis, in Van Dijk T.A. (ed.), Discourse as Social Interaction. Discourse Studies: A Multidisciplinary Introduction (Volume 2), Sage Publications, London, pp. 258-284.

Fasan M. 2013, Annual reports, sustainability reports and integrated reports: Trends in corporate disclosure, in Busco C., Frigo M.L, Riccaboni A. and Quattrone P. (eds.), Integrated Reporting: Concepts and Cases that Redefine Corporate Accountability, Springer, Berlin, pp. 41-58.

Fuoli M. 2012, Assessing social responsibility: A quantitative analysis of appraisal in BP’s and IKEA’s social reports, in “Discourse and Communication” 6 [1], pp. 55-81.

Fuoli M. 2017, Building a trustworthy corporate identity: A corpus-based analysis of stance in annual and corporate social responsibility reports, in “Applied Linguistics”, pp. 1-41.

Gabrielatos C. and Marchi A. 2011, Keyness: Matching metrics to definitions, invited presentation at Corpus Linguistics in the South 1, University of Portsmouth, 5 November 2011.

Garzone G. 2004, Annual company reports and CEO's letters: Discoursal features and cultural markedness, in Candlin C.N. and Gotti M. (eds.), Intercultural Aspects of Specialized Communication, Peter Lang, Bern, pp. 311-342.

Giannoni D.S. 2001, Politeness in English and Italian business discourse, in Bettoni C. Zampolli A. and Zorzi D. (eds.), Atti del 2° Congresso AITLA, Guerra, Perugia, pp. 107-126.

Giannoni D.S. 2014, A comparison of British and Italian customer-complaint forms, in “English for Specific Purposes” 34, pp. 48-57.

Gray R., Javad M., Power D.M. and Sinclair C.D. 2001, Social and environmental disclosures and corporate characteristics: A research note and extension, in “Journal of Business, Finance and Accounting” 28 [3/4], pp. 327-356.

Higgins C. and Walker R. 2012, Ethos, logos, pathos: Strategies of persuasion in social/environmental reports, in “Accounting Forum” 36 [3], pp. 194-208.

Höllerer M.A., Jancsary D., Meyer R. E. and Vettori O. 2013, Imageries of corporate social responsibility: Visual recontextualization and field-level meaning, in “Institutional Logics in Action” 39 [B], pp. 139-174.

Kramsch C. 2003, Language and Culture, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Laviosa S. 2002, Corpus-based Translation studies: Theory, Findings, Applications, Rodopi, Amsterdam/Atlanta.

Leech G. 1983, Principles of Pragmatics, Longman, London.

Magistro E. 2013, The challenges of ‘translating' polite discourse for the EU multilingual community, in “International Journal of Applied Linguistics” 23 [1], pp. 60-79.

Maier C.D. 2014, Multimodal aspects of corporate social responsibility communication, in “LEA - Lingue e Letterature d'Oriente e d'Occidente” 3, pp. 245-258.

Malavasi D. 2011, ‘Doing well by doing good’: A comparative analysis of Nokia’s and Ericsson’s corporate social responsibility reports, in Garzone G. and Gotti M. (ed.), Discourse, Communication and the Enterprise. Genres and Trends, Peter Lang, Bern, pp. 193-212.

Malavasi D. 2012, The necessary balance between sustainability and economic success: an analysis of Fiat’s and Toyota’s corporate social responsibility reports, in Heynderickx P., Dieltjens S., Jacobs G., Gillaerts P. and de Groot, E. (eds.), The Language Factor in International Business: New Perspectives on Research, Teaching and Practice, Peter Lang, Bern, pp. 247-264.

Malavasi D. 2017, Building trust through corporate identity: An analysis of CSR reports and webpages, in Salvi R. and Turnbull J. (eds.), The Discursive Construal of Trust in the Dynamics of Knowledge Diffusion, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, pp. 131-153.

Mauranen A. 2004, Corpora, Universals and Interference, in Mauranen A. and Kujamäki P. (eds.), Translation Universals. Do They Exist?, John Benjamins, Amsterdam/Philadelphia, pp. 65-82.

Newmark P. 1998, A Textbook of Translation, Prentice Hall, Hertfordshire.

Ocler R. 2009, Discourse analysis and corporate social responsibility: a qualitative approach, in “Society and Business Review” 4 [3], pp.175-186.

Rayson P. and Garside R. 2000, Comparing corpora using frequency profiling, in Proceedings of the workshop on Comparing Corpora, held in conjunction with the 38th annual meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL 2000). 1-8 October 2000, Hong Kong, pp. 1-6.

Skulstad A.S. 2008, Creating a ‘green’ image in the public sphere: Corporate environmental reports in a genre perspective, in Wodak R. and Koller V. (eds.), Handbook of Communication in the Public Sphere, De Gruyter Mouton, Berlin, pp. 181-201.

Toury G. 1995, Descriptive Translation Studies and Beyond, John Benjamins, Amsterdam/Philadelphia.

Van Leeuwen T. 1996, The representation of social actors, in Caldas-Coulthard C.R. and Coulthard M. (eds.), Texts and Practices: Readings in Critical Discourse Analysis, Routledge, London, pp. 32-70.

Van Leeuwen T. 2007, Legitimation in discourse and communication, in “Discourse and Communication” 1 [1], pp. 91-112.

Venuti L. 1995, The Translator's Invisibility: A History of Translation, Routledge, London.

Vergaro C. 2002, “Dear Sirs, what would you do if you were in our position?” Discourse strategies in Italian and English money-chasing letters, in “Journal of Pragmatics” 34, pp. 1211-1233.

Vergaro C. 2004, Discourse strategies in Italian and English sales promotion letters, in “English for Specific Purposes” 23, pp. 181-207.

Vergaro C. 2005, Dear sirs, I hope you will find this information useful: discourse strategies in Italian and English “For Your Information” (FYI) letters, in “Discourse Studies” 7 [1], pp. 119-135.

Wodak R. 2012, Language, power and identity, in “Language Teaching” 45 [2], pp. 215-33.

Wodak R., De Cillia R., Reisigl M., Liebhart K. and Hirsch A. 2009, The Discursive Construction of National Identity (2nd edition), Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.

Wodak R. and Weiss G. 2005, Analysing European Union discourses: theories and applications, in Wodak R. and Chilton P. (eds.), A new agenda in (critical) discourse analysis, John Benjamins, Amsterdam/Philadelphia, pp. 121-135.

Yu D. and Bondi M. 2017, The generic structure of CSR reports in Italian, Chinese, and English: A corpus-based analysis, in “IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication” 60, pp. 273-291.

Zanettin F. 2012, Translation-driven Corpora, St Jerome Publishing, Manchester.


Full Text: pdf

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 3.0 Italia License.