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    Testing the Fidelity of English-Spanish Translations in Election Materials

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    Author
    Portal, Michael
    Date
    2017
    Abstract
    The purpose of this research is to identify and test inconsistencies in language usage and meaning as they may appear in translated election material. Following amendments to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the production of minority language election material became a federal requirement without clearcut federal oversight. Utilizing a 2 (Direction: Spanish-to-English or English-to-Spanish) x 2 (Formality: if the language was expected to be formal “voting language” or casual “everyday language”) Between study we sought to assess the quality of these translations. We analyze significant and recurring words used in ballots from Ballotpedia’s 2015 list of “Notable local measures” and their translations as provided by LA County’s Spanish Translation Glossary. While many of the words tested did not have a main effect of Direction or Formality, some words tested demonstrate deficiencies in translation or word usage that could jeopardize the fidelity of intended meaning. We examine these results alongside other important research, primarily concerning the use of plain-language on ballots. This paper encourages further study into the words chosen for ballots and the potential for non-American translations and computer learning programs to help resolve these issues moving forward.
    Description
    Submission to the Friends of Fondren Library Undergraduate Research Awards, 2017. This paper was originally prepared for Course POLI 420 (Fall 2016): Election Systems, given by Professor Byrne, Michael, Department of Psychology and Political Science.
    Citation
    Portal, Michael. "Testing the Fidelity of English-Spanish Translations in Election Materials." (2017) Rice University: https://hdl.handle.net/1911/93995.
    Keyword
    Political Science; Election material; translation; fidelity; plain language; More... Voting Rights Act Less...
    Publisher
    Rice University
    Citable link to this page
    https://hdl.handle.net/1911/93995
    Rights
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
    Link to License
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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    Home | FAQ | Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Accessibility Statement
    Managed by the Digital Scholarship Services at Fondren Library, Rice University
    Physical Address: 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005
    Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O.BOX 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892
    Site Map