Translation and Tourism Strategies for Effective Cross-Cultural Promotion

This book addresses one of the most central, yet criticised, solutions for international tourism promotion, namely translation. It brings together theory and practice, explores the various challenges involved in translating tourism promotional materials (TPMs), and puts forward a sustainable solution capable of achieving maximum impact in the industry and society.

The solution, in the form of a Cultural-Conceptual Translation (CCT) model, identifies effective translation strategies and offers a platform for making TPM translation more streamlined, efficient and easily communicated. Using the English-Malay language combination as a case study, the book analyses tourism discourse and includes a road test of the CCT model on actual end-users of TPMs as well as tourism marketers in the industry. Guidelines for best practices in the industry round out the book, which offers valuable insights not only for researchers but also, and more importantly, various stakeholders in the translation, tourism and advertising industries.   

Part I Translating Tourism Promotion: Theoretical Considerations.- 1 Understanding tourist motivation and industry persuasion.- 2 Tourism promotional materials.- 3 Tourism promotional materials across languages and cultures.- 4 Tackling the tourism translation challenge: A Cultural-Conceptual Approach.- Part II Application and Evaluation of CCT: The Case of English-Malay.- 5 Cultural profiling for translation purposes.- 6 Translating tourism landscapes: From nature to urban.- 7 Translating performancescapes: From gazing to doing.- 8 Translating stylescapes: From tourism to anti-tourism.- 9 Applying and evaluating the CCT model in the industry.- 10 Towards best practices in TPM translation.

Dr Mohamed Zain Sulaiman is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Literacy and Sociocultural Transformation, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and a professional translator and interpreter for English, Arabic and Malay. Prior to entering academia, Zain worked extensively in the field of translation and interpreting and was employed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia as chief translator and interpreter at one of its diplomatic missions for eight years. His research interests include functionalist and cultural approaches to translation; translation of tourism discourse; and cross-cultural communication. He is currently editor for GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies and New Voices in Translation Studies.

Rita Wilson is a Professor of Translation Studies at the School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, Monash University. Her research combines an interest in linguistic and cultural translation with studies of contemporary transcultural narrative practices. Most recently, her publications have focused on the role of translation in the formation of cultural identities and as a medium of intercultural exchange. She is currently Interim Director of the Monash Intercultural Lab and co-editor of the journal The Translator.