One of the critical arguments directed at Descriptive Translation Studies concerns its over-emphasised target-orientedness (Hermans 1995). A more balanced approach views translation as a ‘push and pull’ process in which both the source (exporting) and target (importing) cultures are actively involved (Lambert 2006/1995). Following this line of thinking, and using Israel as a test case, I would like to deal with the role of translation in making the film industry of a small country exportable.
Israeli cinema does not have abundant resources and its local audience is relatively small. It cannot compete with heavily invested American blockbusters. However, it does succeed at international art events and festivals where its artistic achievements and political involvement are appreciated. In the terminology of Bourdieu, its arena is the field of limited – rather than mass – production (Bourdieu 1993).
In order to be accessible to an international spectatorship, Israeli Hebrew-speaking films have to be translated into other languages. Based on this premise, my paper will address the following questions:
- Who initiates and finances the translation?
- Is the translation produced in Israel or abroad?
- Since Israeli cinema is supported by public funds, do they also finance the translation?
- Are the translators native speakers of Hebrew who translate into their second language?
The answers to these questions are significant because the more Israel is involved in initiating, financing and producing the translation, the more it can be characterised as an active agent in the process of export.
Israeli films are deeply rooted in the country’s local culture. They depict life as experienced by kibbutz (a communal settlement) inhabitants, soldiers participating in military operations, Holocaust survivors and members of Israel’s minorities (Israeli Arabs, immigrants, foreign workers). Since the 1980s, they tend to be critical of Israeli society and attack the country’s materialism and militarism. In my presentation, I would also like to deal with how translators – who play a major role in making these films accessible and perhaps palatable to non-Israeli spectators – cope with their culturally unique aspects and politically sensitive messages. Films that can serve as examples include: Sweet Mud (Shaul 2006), Beaufort (Cedar 2007), The Band’s Visit (Kolirin 2007) and Waltz with Bashir (Folman 2008).

References
Bourdieu, P. (1993). The Field of Cultural Production: Essays on Art and Literature, Randal Johnson (ed.). Cambridge: Polity Press.
Hermans, T. (1995). "Toury's Empiricism Version One", The Translator 1:2, pp. 215-223.
Lambert, J. (2006/1995). "Literatures, Translation and (De)Colonization", in Functional Approaches to Culture and Translation: Selected Papers by Jose Lambert, Dirk Delabastita, Lieven D'Hulst and Reine Meylaerts (eds). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins, pp. 87-103.

Rachel WEISSBROD is a senior lecturer in the Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies at Bar Ilan University (Israel). Her areas of research include theory of translation, literary translation into Hebrew, translation for the media and inter-semiotic translation. She has published in Target, The Translator, Meta, Babel, Linguistica Antverpiensia NS, Jostrans and more. Her book Not by Word Alone, Fundamental Issues in Translation (in Hebrew) was published by the Open University of Israel in 2007.