Abstract

In Canada and in Quebec, studying the translations of political speeches raises a number of problems, particularly the linguistic, political, and social questions that have long been associated with Quebecois society's, and to a lesser degree Canadian society's, search for identity. This thesis illustrates these issues through the examination of the translations of two important speeches, one delivered by René Lévesque and the other by Pierre Elliott Trudeau. More specifically, the thesis analyzes the sociopolitical issues involved in these speeches using a table developed by Christina Schäffner and Teun A. van Dijk. At first, both speeches appear to represent the nation. In other words, it seems that each prime minister was naturally speaking for the entire population they represent. However, further research proves that once translated, the texts reveal that the two prime ministers were not necessarily speaking for all citizens: they were addressing only those who had voted for them. Furthermore, the research shows that in Quebec and Canada, the translation of political speeches is an effective tool used for the dissemination of ideologies.