Langkit : Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

Editorial

In times when the debate between the benefits and challenges of AI seems to polarize the academe and other sectors of the society, this current volume compels  us to go back to our communities and examine the issues that continually beset us. What is remarkable about this volume is the revelation that the everyday, ordinary events in our lives -  events or happenings that we take for granted - are the ones which can explain the complexities of our humanity and shape the way we lead our lives.

The articles in this volume also show that the social science perspective, with its interdisciplinary nature and systematic methods like observation, in-depth interviews, and textual analysis, can frame social dynamics, people’s behavior, power relations and relationships in the best possible way, such that both the micro and macro level discourse can be achieved and established. Seen from this vantage, we can argue that the relevance of the social sciences and humanities as fields of inquiry remain as relevant as ever.

Miyahara’s article “Scripted Resonances: Han Écriture, Minor Literature and Vernacular Negotiation in Sinophone Asia” analyzes how writing systems such as the Han script, also known as Chinese characters, can be a contested site for the recognition of the linguistic diversity in Taiwan. Utilizing Jacques Derrida’s critique of phonocentrism and Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s theory of minor literature, the articles probes into how the Han script’s ideographic rather than phonographic nature allows for the semiotic flexibility to co-articulate both the dominant and minor languages in Taiwan. Because phonography in language systems is seen as a Western imposition on modern states like Taiwan, the paper elucidates how the Han script can bridge orality and literacy because of its nature to   separate  pronunciation from the written form, thereby making it possible to be used in different areas of East Asia. Using various texts like signages in parks and restaurants and creative works by prominent writers in the said nation state, the article further argues how the Han script, as visual signifier, sustains the mutual referencing of diverse Sinitic or Chinese languages which are spoken in Taiwan. In doing so, the article advances a broader inquiry into how language, writing, and literature mediate the cultural politics of voice and recognition in East Asia.

Interfaith marriages and how it becomes a space for the attainment and maintenance of everyday peace, a concept forwarded by MacGuinty, is the focus of the article “The Dynamics of Filipino Interfaith Families in Bukidnon, Southern Philippines:  Strategies Towards the Attainment of Everyday Peace” by Dorias, Cardona and Balgoa. In contrast to Galtung’s ideas of positive and negative peace, MacGuinty defines everyday peace as the “bottom-up and survival strategies that individuals and groups employ to navigate their way through life in divided situations and societies”. Drawing heavily from this concept, the paper further elucidates the crucial role of communication and negotiation strategies which the informants employ to maintain harmony in their marriages. A convincing argument which the paper provides is that through effective communication, couples in international marriages need not depend on social institutions and community regulations to navigate the difficulties of their relationships. Moreover, by focusing on Bukidnon, a province in Southern Mindanao  as the locale of the study, it paves the way for further investigation on  how negotiation styles and communication strategies vary across different regions or cultural settings, and as such  can provide a broader understanding of how everyday peace is practiced in interfaith households in other regions of the country.

Two articles in this volume, both written in Filipino,  deal with the relevance and challenges of translation and subtitling. The first is  Ramber and Sandoval’s article “Sipat-suri sa Konsepto ng Meranaw Culture-Specific Items ng Epikong Darangen”, which brings forth the relevance of the Maranao epic Darangen through the paper’s analysis of the culture-specific items (CSI) found in the literary form. Examples of Meranaw CSI are terms which are distinct to the language and as such, in translation,  their essence cannot be captured by the target language which is Filipino. To maintain the CSIs’ essence and thereby retaining the original term in the translated work is crucial since they convey the tradition, identity and characteristics of the ethnic group. Thus, meaning is in the words itself.

A novel contribution of the article lies in its categorization of CSI terms which need to be retained or not in the process of translation. CSI terms which convey material culture ,  social institutions and  proper nouns need to be retained in its original form because translating them will lose their cultural uniqueness.  For after all, the meaning of a concept  lies in what is hidden, and in the cultural motif of the words.

Audiovisual translation, particularly subtitling in movies shown through Netflix, a popular streaming service, is the focus of analysis of Villote’s article entitled “Tipolohiya ng mga Teknik sa Pagsalin sa Netflix: Filipino Bilang Subtitle”. Using the typology of techniques of translation forwarded by Gottlieb as framework and four films with Filipino subtitles as corpus of the study, the analysis revealed that expansion (making the translated text longer than the original text), condensation (strategies to shorten the translation without losing the original meaning), elimination (the conscious removal of elements from the source text to improve clarity), taming (the awareness that translation is more of an art form rather than a scientific endeavor) and imitation (to reproduce the source text) were the most used techniques in the translation of selected films. These techniques further reveal that language is inseparable from the visual actions of the characters in the films. With these, the article argues that since there are limitations and differences in rules between regular translation and subtitling in films, synchronization must still be maintained if the translator wants  to ensure that the target text does not deviate from the original work. This implies that audiovisual translation, particularly subtitling offers new techniques and strategies yet gives rise to new challenges and difficulties in translation.

The last article of this volume problematizes a pressing social issue: the case management of children in conflict with the law (CICL) in General Santos City, Philippines. Data were extracted from interviews of employees from different government agencies which handle such cases and from reformed CICLs themselves. Affirming the results of the previous studies, the study points out to the perennial challenges met by concerned offices which handle CICL cases such as lack of facilities and the small number of social workers to facilitate and processes the cases. Also mentioned was the need of a strengthened security in the centers which house CICLs to prevent them from leaving the premises without permission. The inadequate training of the house parents also poses a problem to the handling of CICL cases. The paper also highlights the importance of synchronicity  and systematic approach the concerned agencies use to address the multifaceted issues of CICL.

What holds the five articles together in this volume is the multidimensional aspects of the issues being interrogated. Needless to say, they show the value and strength of interdisciplinarity to reveal the possible interpretations  of even a small sample and limited  number of informants. This  in the hope that they will serve as precursors to generate new insights and at most, new theoretical perspectives.

NELIA G. BALGOA, DHS

Editor-in-chief