420252

The Role of “Translation” in Confirming the Authority of WHO in the Global Health Scene at the time of COVID-19: An Actor-Network Approach

Article

Last updated: 09 Apr 2025

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Abstract

The work of the WHO on addressing global health issues, specifically Covid-19 pandemic, can best be analyzed using the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) framework, which enables the disaggregation of the different actors in the process and of understanding the shifting associations among the various elements (human and otherwise). This research explores the position of translation/ interpretation in the nexus of technical, normative, policy-oriented transactions of the textual, audiovisual, and graphic production of the leading global organization on health issues. Among language professionals outsourced or fully employed by the WHO are scores of translators and interpreters involved in the process and in the production of this large corpus on health and medical issues and on intergovernmental internal communication in different languages. The aim is to investigate how translators/ interpreters interact in such transactions, the shifts their work experience due new technical and technological innovations, the role they play in making complex scientific ideas accessible (or not?). Moreover, in examining such associations, the paper reflects on the narrative of seamless production of knowledge on important health issues in the six official languages of the UN as a declared goal by the WHO.

DOI

10.21608/ssl.2025.359032.1244

Keywords

WHO language services, Actor Network Theory, Covid-19 communication, UN Multilingualism, Health knowledge translation

Authors

First Name

دعاء نبيل سيد إمبابي

Last Name

Embabi

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

قسم اللغة الإنجليزية وآدابها، كلية الآداب، جامعة عين شمس

Email

doaaembabi@gmail.com

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Orcid

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Volume

30

Article Issue

30

Related Issue

54827

Issue Date

2025-01-01

Receive Date

2025-02-08

Publish Date

2025-04-01

Page Start

326

Page End

363

Print ISSN

2535-2148

Online ISSN

2682-3519

Link

https://ssl.journals.ekb.eg/article_420252.html

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http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=420252

Order

10

Type

المقالة الأصلية

Type Code

1,107

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

بحوث فى تدريس اللغات

Publication Link

https://ssl.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

The Role of “Translation” in Confirming the Authority of WHO in the Global Health Scene at the time of COVID-19: An Actor-Network Approach

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Article

Created At

09 Apr 2025