Discourses of Migration in Documentary Film: Translating the Real to the Reel

“This book is a carefully developed and methodologically interesting effort to map the intersection of three fields: documentary studies, translation studies, and discourse analysis. For Sanchez, the documentarist is a cultural translator negotiating the difference between the reality of migrants and migration, and the forms of representation that can be most effective in the target culture. Four aspects of translation (contexts, agents, practices, and discourses) guide her study in positive discourse analysis, i.e. the exploration of the fluid and potentially empowering space between the mainstream and dissenting voices.”
—Juan Poblete, University of California Santa Cruz, USA

“In the era of global migration, this timely study make a significant contribution to the interdisciplinary study of documentary film addressing Latinx mobilities in the US. Combining Translation Studies and Cultural Studies, the impressive volume provides insightful readings of how migrants’ lives and concerns are addressed in the work of independent filmmakers. It is essential reading to both researchers and practitioners in the field.”

—Jopi Nyman, University of Eastern Finland, Finland

“Both captivating and urgent, this work offers a fresh perspective on Latinx migration. It demonstrates how independent documentary films translate real-life discourses about migration, family, citizenship and culture.”

—Kevin Smets, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

This book proposes a new, translational approach to the study of discourse in documentary film. It considers discourse as a basic factor of translation (as well as contexts, agents, and practices) and draws on the parallels between the disciplines of translating and documentary making to perform a discourse analysis of documentaries centering on migration. More specifically, the book uses the concept of translation as a heuristic tool to highlight the discursive mechanisms of 18 documentaries on Latin American migration showcased over the last 30 years in the United States by the Public Broadcasting Service series POV. This innovative, interdisciplinary methodology facilitates a holistic analysis of documentary film discourse, while also raising awareness of positive discourses of migration.

​Alexandra J. Sanchez is a Research Fellow at KU Leuven, Belgium.