Translation in Arabic language and literature
Nikoo Nikrah; Alireza Nazari; Aliasghar Shahbazi
Abstract
Translation is the process of transferring linguistic data in many literary texts, especially fictional works, due to the existence of various specific cultural elements of the source culture, it acts as a bridge for cultural interactions and their ability to select the correct or more correct equivalent ...
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Translation is the process of transferring linguistic data in many literary texts, especially fictional works, due to the existence of various specific cultural elements of the source culture, it acts as a bridge for cultural interactions and their ability to select the correct or more correct equivalent in the target text can be considered as a factor in assessing the success or failure of the translator. Newmark, more than other theorists, was aware of the importance of this issue and, in addition to categorizing concepts, provided solutions for replacing cultural elements. The novel "Safar" by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, with its internal content and narrative movement within the framework of traditional Iranian culture, encompasses all the cultural elements that Newmark considers, and the translator of this work into Arabic has faced multiple challenges in this regard. This article, using a descriptive-analytical method and relying on Newmark's theory, attempts to analyze and criticize the translator's selection of cultural elements and to evaluate and even perform a stylistic analysis of the translator's performance in using Newmark's solutions. The results show that the most frequent cultural elements were related to material culture and proverbs, and the translator used a combination of more strategies than other methods in translating cultural elements. It can be said that the reason for the translator's frequent use of this method is the large number of some cultural concepts, including material culture and proverbs, and also to eliminate ambiguity and provide explanations in footnotes for better familiarity of Arabic-speaking audiences.
Translation in Arabic language and literature
Aliasghar Shahbazi
Abstract
Vernacular translation of literary works invites inevitable semantic, syntactic, rhetorical, and ideological shifts within a text. This process of stabilizing originates mostly from the translator’s conscious intention and is reliant on the target language’s innate nature. Among the most ...
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Vernacular translation of literary works invites inevitable semantic, syntactic, rhetorical, and ideological shifts within a text. This process of stabilizing originates mostly from the translator’s conscious intention and is reliant on the target language’s innate nature. Among the most notable theories in this regard, is J. C. Catford’s theory (1965), which analyzes semantic and syntactic shifts in two general categories and four sub-categories. This study attempts to compare and investigate Abdolmona-em’s and Al-Attar’s stabilizations in the Arabic translation of Forough Farrokhzad’s “Tavallod-i-Digar,” based on Catford’s theory. The results of this study suggest that in comparison with other transformation modes, transformations on a syntactic level are of high impact on the translations by both aforementioned translators. Maryam al-Attar’s translation includes fewer structural stabilizations because of reduced concern about the primary language’s structure and emphasis on literal translation, and this culminated in the complexity and unfamiliarity of the end product. On the contrary, Abdolmona-em’s translation appears more smooth and natural, as it suggests suitable equivalents and emphasizes the expression and stabilization of semantic and syntactic structures. Furthermore, the exclusions and redundant extensions in Al-Attar’s translation have often brought about interpretative and thematic transformations in the poem.
Aliasghar Shahbazi; Mostafa Parsaeipour
Abstract
Rumi's Masnavi has been widely popular outside the Persian culture, having attracted many an audience. The work has been warmly welcomed in Arabic cultures as well. Arabic literary figures have provided several translations of this literary-mystic masterpiece in prose and poetry, among which the poetic ...
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Rumi's Masnavi has been widely popular outside the Persian culture, having attracted many an audience. The work has been warmly welcomed in Arabic cultures as well. Arabic literary figures have provided several translations of this literary-mystic masterpiece in prose and poetry, among which the poetic translations of two contemporary Arab poets, Abdul Aziz Jawaheri and Mohammad Jamal Hashemi, have served a key role in introducing Masnavi to the Arab audience. Translators’ familiarity with Rumi’s philosophy and cultural affinity between the source and target cultures have helped reflect the spiritual atmosphere of the poems in Arabic. Having discussed the qualitative characteristics of these translations, the study has investigated the translations of the first story in Rumi’s Masnavi, The King and the Handmaiden, within the procedures provided by Viney and Darbelnet. The results show that Jawaher’s translation is closer to the original, adopting direct translation procedures, particularly ‘literal translation’, more extensively. Faithfulness to the source text is yet another virtue of this translation. Hashemi has provided a translation that mostly reveals the syntactic and pragmatic elements of the target language, explicating many elements to make the text more accessible to the readers in lieu of literal translation. Among the seven procedures studied, transposition and modulation are significantly more prevalent than others.
