ABSTRACT
The previous chapter discussed the nature and significance of news translation and analysed the main mechanisms through which it has been successfully integrated in the production of news. This chapter deals with translation in news agencies in more detail, examining existing practices in different organizations more closely and devoting attention to specific strategies and values and to the views and conceptions of the journalists themselves. The main basis of this chapter is fieldwork conducted at AFP and IPS’
regional headquarters for Latin America in Montevideo, where a period of two weeks of ethnographic observation was spent in June 2004. During this period journalists and translators working at both regional desks were interviewed. At IPS, six journalists were interviewed, including the regional editor for Latin America, a senior member of the organization with a managerial role, two translators-editors and two editors. Eleven journalists were interviewed at AFP, including its regional editor, the desk’s chief editor and another nine editors. In addition, several online questionnaires were sent to various journalists at AFP, IPS and Reuters, and a fieldtrip to Reuters’ headquarters in London took place in May 2004. In what follows the role of news agencies’ regional centres is discussed, a
dominant and an alternative model for translation presented, and actual practices at IPS and AFP compared, making ample use of the material obtained through extensive semi-structured interviews maintained with journalists working at both organizations.
