Featured Graduate Student Research
THESIS TITLE: Context Matters: Pragmatics and Political Discourse Analysis of the Presidential Speeches of Michelle Bachelet, Barack Obama and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
STUDENT: Patricia Furnish
ABSTRACT:
The author uses Relevance Theory as a framework to discuss political message processing of some of the speeches by Michelle Bachelet (current president of Chile), Jose Luis Zapatero (former president of Spain), and Barack Obama.
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Proquest
THESIS TITLE: Inclusive Language in Mexico and Spain: Institutional Language Ideology
STUDENT: Mirna García
ABSTRACT:
This study analyzes the current positions on inclusive language in Mexico and Spain’s macro sociopolitical structures that hold far-reaching influence in matters of language ideology. Given the influx of inclusive language manual publications in the last decade, such as the Orientaciones sobre uso no sexista del lenguaje administrativo (Spain, 2007); Manual del lenguaje: Integrador no sexista (Spain, 2013); Manual de comunicación no sexista: Hacia un lenguaje incluyente (Mexico, 2015); Guía para el uso del lenguaje inclusivo desde un enfoque de derechos humanos y perspectiva de género (Mexico, 2017), the study, in part, examines the use of the so-called generic masculine. In addition, the research analyzes legislative initiatives for inclusive language and responses from nationally ranked language institutions, including the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) and the Mexican Language Academy (ALM) that either support or oppose inclusive language models. This study seeks to unravel the ideologies that support or discourage inclusive language practices based on the recommendations of the language authorities that operate in each of the two countries. The research findings indicate that inclusive language initiatives in both Mexico and Spain have permeated politics and legislation and continue to be highly polemic as government entities and national institutions prescribe the use of certain language structures over others.
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ProQuest Online
THESIS TITLE: Foundations for Developing a Model Training Program for U.S. Mental Health Interpreters
STUDENT: Andrew Goodman
ABSTRACT:
Interpreters regularly help to bridge language barriers in many settings so that limited-English-proficient or non-English-speaking people can have equal access to English-dominant services in the linguistically-diverse U.S. To ensure quality interpreting services, several certifications have been developed, especially in medical settings. These provide an opportunity for interpreters to demonstrate their knowledge in essential areas; however, current certifications place limited emphasis on mental health interpreting despite its importance to overall wellbeing. Interpreters working in these settings face unique challenges that must be addressed in training programs in order to be prepared to work in mental health settings. Therefore, a model program for mental health interpreting education is proposed that focuses on the specific aspects required to successfully work in this area. In addition to language and interpreting proficiency required of all interpreters, this model also accounts for domain-specific knowledge, psychotherapeutic methods, codes of conduct, and professional practice. The model proposes several learning objectives and outcomes that can complement existing medical interpreting programs and suggests course and content sequencing to ensure adequate preparation for interpreters working in these areas.
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THESIS TITLE: Translation Policies and the Role of English/Spanish Translation in Charlotte Mecklenburg
STUDENT: Mariam Jameel
ABSTRACT:
This thesis is a case study that assesses the effectiveness of translated documents that are available to Spanish-speaking parents on the Charlotte Mecklenburg School (CMS). Communication between CMS and parents is analyzed in light of Relevance Theory.
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ProQuest Online
THESIS TITLE: The Other Side of Sadism: Women in Don Quixote and the Novellas of Maria
STUDENT: Natalie Love
ABSTRACT:
This study compares the Duchess of Cervantes’ Don Quixote with certain rebellious women from Zayas’ tales in Novelas amorosas y ejemplares and Desenganos amorosos to show how these female characters deconstruct forms of masculine control as a form of empowerment. These women subvert the gender power structure by taunting men’s masculinity, inverting sexual norms, and displaying sadistic behaviors. The Duchess and the evil women of Zayas’ tales usurp the role of the cruel abuser that was typically reserved for men. They are female sadists who possess a desire to subject the male (and sometimes female) body to submission, denigration, and even violence as a form of pleasure and sexual fulfillment. They also use psychological sexual cruelty to humiliate men and deprive them of their phallic power. The first part of this study explains the gender relations of 17th- century Spain and it shows how men used cruelty, violence, and sexuality to control women. The second part compares the Duchess of Don Quixote and Zayas’ devious women to show how all of these women use sexual cruelty to deconstruct these forms of masculine power. Lastly, it analyzes Cervantes’ and Zayas’ motives for portraying these evil female characters and reveals their differing views on female sexuality. This study draws on numerous primary sources from 17-century Spain, including literary works, paintings, and even legal and religious documents to show how destructive gender relationships led to hostile sexual encounters in which not only men, but also women derived pleasure from sexual cruelty. Although many scholars have analyzed sexually abusive behavior in men of Golden Age Spain, there are few studies on female sexual cruelty from this time period. By analyzing these sadistic females, this study deepens our understanding of the sexual tensions in the period. Women’s constant internalization of abuse and sexual repression eventually led them to transform themselves from innocent victims into aggressive abusers who derived pleasure from humiliating and degrading men. Scholars have long recognized the influence that Cervantes had on Zayas’ novellas; however, there is no study that compares the sadistic Duchess of Don Quixote with Zayas’ evil women. An analysis of these female characters not only provides insight to the gender relations of baroque Spain, but it also forms a new connection between these two authors that has not yet been acknowledged.
THESIS TITLE: Audiovisual Translation of Fictional Languages: Dubbing Klingon into Spanish in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”
STUDENT: Rita M. Pérez-Padilla
ABSTRACT:
This thesis investigates the audiovisual translation of fictional languages in multilingual film franchises using Spanish dubbing of the invented Klingon language in Star Trek: The Next Generation as a case study. This invented language appears throughout the series, often to increase the realism of the science fictional universe or reveal cultural information about Klingons. Building on Corrius and Zabalbeascoa’s (2011) descriptive framework used to analyze audiovisual translation of multilingual film, this thesis examines the use of Klingon words and phrases and their associated meanings in the original English series and how they are represented in the Spanish dubbed version as well as the possible interplay between the dubbed renditions and the nature of Klingon as an invented language. Given that most audience members cannot be assumed to know Klingon, the meaning of Klingon words and phrases must be communicated either through context clues, such as dialogue explaining the term, or through other on-screen devices, such as subtitles. When dubbed into other languages, the presence of Klingon language in Star Trek: The Next Generation poses unique challenges for audiovisual translators. Compared to a solely text-based translation, effective dubbing must consider audiovisual constraints (e.g., space restrictions, image synchronization) and the presence of nonverbal audiovisual cues to convey meaning. In the case of Star Trek, the Klingon language complicates the task of dubbing the series from English into Spanish in light of the various functions that Klingon plays in the original series and the associated linguistic and cultural aspects of its use. The thesis concludes with a discussion of how the multimodal nature of audiovisual translation requires greater reflection on the contextual and paralinguistic elements present in multilingual film series to better account for productions involving invented languages.
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THESIS TITLE: El cambio semántico: Expresiones marianas en las Cantigas de Santa María, el Rosario, el folclore de Puerto Rico y el habla popular [Semantic Change: Marian Phrases in Cantigas de Santa María, the Rosary, and Puerto Rican Folklore and Spanish]
STUDENT: Brenda Quiñones-Ayala
ABSTRACT:
This study examines the semantic and pragmatic-functional changes that Marian expressions have undergone over time. The analysis is carried out by using the theoretical discourse analysis framework as defined by James Paul Gee. This thesis examines the representational power attributed to Mary as a factor of change in linguistic meaning. As an initial step, the analysis focuses on two texts from the Middle Ages, an important period to understand marianism, Alfonso X’s Cantigas de Santa María and the Rosary. The second step consists of the examination of Marian expressions in the folklore of Puerto Rico.
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