redact
Meaning: To edit or censor a document by removing or obscuring sensitive, confidential, or classified information before publication or release.
Redaction is a standard practice in government, law, and intelligence, where documents released under freedom of information requests often have names, addresses, or classified details blacked out. The visual image of a heavily redacted document — pages of text with large black bars — has become iconic in political discourse. In publishing, redact can also mean to prepare text for publication more generally, though the censorship meaning now dominates.
Examples
- Large sections of the report were redacted on grounds of national security, frustrating opposition MPs. 该报告的大部分内容以国家安全为由被编辑删除,令反对党议员深感不满。Grandes secciones del informe fueron censuradas por motivos de seguridad nacional, lo que frustró a los diputados de la oposición.その報告書の大部分は国家安全保障を理由に墨消しされ、野党議員たちの不満を招きました。해당 보고서의 상당 부분이 국가 안보를 이유로 삭제(편집) 처리되어 야당 의원들의 불만을 샀습니다.
- The court ordered that the witness's name be redacted from all publicly available documents. 法庭命令从所有公开文件中编辑删除证人姓名。El tribunal ordenó que el nombre del testigo fuera eliminado de todos los documentos de acceso público.裁判所は、一般に公開されるすべての文書から証人の名前を墨消しするよう命じました。법원은 공개되는 모든 문서에서 증인의 이름을 삭제(편집) 처리하도록 명령했습니다.
- The heavily redacted documents released under the Freedom of Information Act raised more questions than they answered. 根据《信息自由法》发布的经过大量编辑删除的文件引发的问题比其回答的更多。Los documentos ampliamente censurados publicados en virtud de la Ley de Libertad de Información plantearon más preguntas de las que respondieron.情報公開法に基づいて公開された大幅に墨消しされた文書は、答えた以上に多くの疑問を生じさせました。정보공개법에 따라 공개된 대폭 삭제(편집) 처리된 문서들은 답을 주기보다 오히려 더 많은 의문을 불러일으켰습니다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: professional, media
Tone: neutral
Origin & History
From Latin redactus, past participle of redigere (to drive back, to reduce, to bring into order), combining re- (back) and agere (to drive). The censorship meaning became prominent in the 20th century through legal and governmental usage.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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