Translation in Arabic language and literature
Sayed Hasan Tabatabaee; Habib Keshavarz; Ali Zeighami
Abstract
Abstract A significant and intriguing subject for translation science theorists is the profound relationship between culture and language. Numerous translators and theorists regard these two as essential for text translation. Language constitutes a significant component of culture, and the interplay ...
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Abstract A significant and intriguing subject for translation science theorists is the profound relationship between culture and language. Numerous translators and theorists regard these two as essential for text translation. Language constitutes a significant component of culture, and the interplay between culture and language is reciprocal. Even Zohar's concept of cultural reserves views language as a microculture-based cultural reserve. This theory examines, on one hand, the interaction among various cultures, and on the other hand, the interplay between culture and language. In literature, stories and novels serve as profound repositories of a language's culture. This article employs the descriptive-analytical method, grounded in Even Zohar's theory, to examine the localization solutions of cultural elements in the Arabic translation of Jamal Mirsadeghi's novel "Length of the Night" by Ahmed Yusuf Shatta. This study shows that the translator used methods like cultural analysis, cultural mixing, cultural reform, and cultural adaptation to make cultural elements more relevant to the target audience. These methods were influenced by language borrowing, cultural exchanges, shared social issues, religious unity, and similar religious practices. This text identified a total of 829 cultural components. The findings of the translation of these cultural elements indicate that the two strategies of objective transfer (45%) and deculturalization (37%) exhibited the highest prevalence. The frequent occurrence of these two solutions indicates the author's negligence in localizing cultural elements and in transferring the source culture to the target culture.IntroductionCulture serves as a foundation for the development of sustainable social behaviors, the primary source for the establishment of values, identities, education, art, literature, and cultural distinctions. It is among the most utilized and intricate notions in the social and human sciences, encompassing a collection of ideas and values. It pertains to the requirements, habits, customs, knowledge, art, technology, thoughts, emotions, attitudes, actions, and other elements collectively shared by a group of individuals in specific contexts. The profound relationship between culture and language has long been a significant focus, particularly in the realm of translating cultural elements. Numerous translators and theorists regard this connection as essential for effective text translation. Language undeniably constitutes a significant aspect of culture, and culture and language exert reciprocal impact on one another. Language serves as a primary medium for humans to convey information, thoughts, and emotions. Languages have developed in many manners based on geographical location and temporal context. The variety and scope of languages, coupled with the necessity for comprehension, have prompted translation scholars to focus intently on this discipline. Language is a profound and intricate sign of culture and civilization that has captivated numerous philosophical perspectives. Language serves as a conduit for conveying thoughts, emotions, and experiences throughout society; it functions not merely as a social instrument but primarily as an intellectual and philosophical framework of considerable depth and scope. The abundance of languages and cultures today makes it impossible to know them all. To master a language thoroughly, one must comprehend and assimilate the culture of its speakers. Familiarity with many cultures enhances language acquisition by providing greater insight and fostering a better comprehension of words and terms. Furthermore, it serves a significant function in interpersonal communication. This is a context in which an individual may comprehend all languages and cultures through the application of translation techniques, wherein the translation of cultural components enhances the accessibility of the text for readers.Translation is the process of transferring text from one language to another, serving as a communication bridge across diverse languages and cultures. Its primary objective is to convey thoughts across languages, acknowledging that each language possesses its structure, terminology, and cultural nuances. The technique is recognized as intricate and demanding, warranting careful consideration in translation. Certain concepts and terminology may pose challenges in translation owing to cultural and historical disparities among languages. Language and translation are fundamental components of human communication, significantly facilitating the exchange of knowledge, culture, and interaction among individuals and cultures. The translation of literary works across languages significantly contributes to the enhancement and evolution of the culture and language of other societies. However, this influence might also have some negative consequences. Among these detrimental effects, the proliferation of foreign lexicon in the target language might be noted. To address these issues, it is essential to develop solutions that enhance the quality of translation. The material should be comprehensible to the reader with minimal disruption and without the inclusion of foreign terminology. To this end, theorists like Ivir and Itamar Even-Zohar have suggested several alternatives, including enhancement, objective transfer, localization, elaboration, elimination, and deculturalization.Research methodologyThis research is conducted utilizing library sources and a descriptive-analytical methodology, grounded in Even Zohar's idea of cultural reserves. Thus, microcultures are initially detected in the source language. The localized translation of these microcultures in the target language is delineated, followed by the articulation of the most successful technique for the localization of cultural aspects, accompanied by justification. Literature ReviewEven Zohar's theory of cultural reserves hasn't been studied much, and the novel "Length of the Night" and its Arabic translation haven't been looked at from a cultural point of view either. Because of this, this topic is seen as new and different.In her 2013 dissertation titled "Examination of Story Elements in Three Works by Jamal Mirsadeghi (Length of the Night, The Winds Herald the Change of Season, Ibrahim's Anxieties)," Masoumeh Nemati analyzes the narrative components and concludes that the author employs these story elements in his works. He employs authentic narratives in characterization and dialogue. All three novels exhibit a pyramidal structure (beginning-middle-end) and are permeated with hopelessness and melancholy. An analysis of three novels reveals that Mirsadeghi's writing style has evolved considerably, with Ibrahim's anxiety novel attaining a superior status in structural quality and literary artistry relative to the other two works.Binazir Khajepour (2014) authored a thesis named "Zohar Cultural Reserves." This paper looks at the theory behind microcultures in translation and how they are used in the novel "My Uncle Napoleon" and its English translation. It does this by looking at microcultures in both the source and target languages and using the theory's translation strategies. This concludes that the translator's primary method for Iranian microcultures was initially deculturalization followed by localization. The paper "Theory of Zohar Cultural Reserves and Analysis of Translation Strategies of Microcultures" stems from this thesis. The research case about the novel "Napoleon's Uncle" in relation to the English translation was extracted and published in 2016.The essay "Analysis of the Translation of Phonemes from Persian to Arabic: A Case Study of the Novel 'Length of the Night' by Jamal Mirsadeghi" by Khosro Jangharban and Ali Bashiri (1400) only analyzed the translation of phonemes from a linguistic perspective. The outcome of this investigation was the producer.ConclusionThe novel encompasses cultural components such as lexicon, terminology, proverbs, and poetry. The novel's primary focus on religion has afforded the translator comprehensive authority over the narrative themes, due to the religious parallels between the two civilizations. The translator's expertise with Persian language and culture enhances the significance of the translation. In a dependable translation, the translator has employed terminology that, alongside eloquence, effectively conveys the semantic and cultural nuances of the microculture. Equivalents utilized in the target language serve as appropriate replacements. While the translator endeavors to revise the text to reflect the transitional and cultural significance of the words, he occasionally alters them to align with cultural elements. To achieve cultural amalgamation, he examines these elements, translates their meanings, and elucidates the cultural aspects of the translation. The translation appears lifeless and lacks literary structure. Although he has attempted to mitigate this problem with appropriate equations, the limitations of literal translation have nonetheless diminished its aesthetic appeal.
Translation in Arabic language and literature
Nafiseh Emari Allahyari; Ali Zeighami; Habib Keshavarz
Abstract
In post-coronavirus societies and the return of enthusiasm and motivation of people to exchange cultures and travel, the need for translation is felt more than ever. In the meantime, different branches of the tourism industry have been associated with interpretation. The purpose of this research is to ...
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In post-coronavirus societies and the return of enthusiasm and motivation of people to exchange cultures and travel, the need for translation is felt more than ever. In the meantime, different branches of the tourism industry have been associated with interpretation. The purpose of this research is to find the most suitable solutions in the translation of proper names of tourism, know the most used strategy from the ten strategies of Van Coillie's theory (2007) in this documentary, and learn about its challenges. The research method is descriptive-analytical, in which 200 proper names were extracted from the tourism-historical documentary "Ma’alam Men Khuzestan" (Khuzestan at a Glance in Farsi) which was broadcast on Al-Kawthar International Channel, and after comparing the samples in the two Persian and Arabic versions of the documentary, it has been criticized and analyzed based on Van Coillie's theory. The research results indicate that the strategy of not translating, reproducing and copying has been used more than others. In the field of tourism, the strategy of non-translation, reproduction, and copying is considered the most appropriate translation strategies, because introducing the unique attractions of a region is one of the goals of the translator in this type of text, which must be preserved and distinguished by mentioning its original name. Other strategies are reproduction along with phonetic or morphological adaptation to the target language, deletion, non-translation along with additional explanation, and replacement with an equivalent in the target language, respectively.Keywords: Translation Strategies, Proper Names, Van Coillie, Al-Kawthar, Tourism.IntroductionKnowing the specific cultural, tourism, historical, and architectural elements of each country requires familiarity with translation approaches, which includes new researches in the field of translation of proper names. With the progress of communication and the increasing connection of all types of tourism, including cultural, religious, medical, urban, etc., with the Arabic language, the importance of translating proper names doubles.This documentary was produced by Maziar Mohajer Soltani and its text was translated into Arabic by Alireza Khajehpour. The narrators are Reza Mansour Jassim, Basmeh Shekarchi, and Manar Qitouli.Questions and Hypotheses 1- What are the challenges in the translation of proper names of tourism in Persian and Arabic languages in Van Coillie's theory?Analyzing Arabic proper names through a Western theory faces many challenges, because these strategies correspond to the structure of English grammar. The lack of Persian or Arabic theories in the translation of proper names and the lack of translation of Van Coillie's books are other problems of this research.2- In oral texts of tourism, what is the most appropriate strategy for translating proper names?It seems that combining several strategies is the best solution for translating proper names of tourism. 3- What is the most frequent method in translating proper names in this documentary and why is this method used more?It seems that the strategy of not translating, reproducing and copying has been used more than other strategies to preserve the priorities of the text or the author and transfer the cultural richness of the source language.Literature ReviewIn general, no research has been conducted on the translation of Persian proper names into Arabic in an oral tourism text. However, few research studies have been done on the translation of proper names in religious texts (Qur'an) and literary texts (novels).MethodologyThe research method is descriptive-analytical. In a way, 200 proper names were extracted from this documentary which was made in 1390-91 AH and was broadcast in 1395 in 13 episodes of 20 minutes on Al-Kawthar International Channel. After comparing samples in the two Persian and Arabic versions of the documentary, it was criticized and analyzed based on the ten strategies of Van Coillie's theory.In the theoretical literature section, the definition of proper and common nouns was mentioned, and different views on the division of proper names were also expressed.The ten axes of Van Coillie's theory are 1) Non-translation, reproduction, and copying. 2) Non-translation with additional explanations in the text or the footnote. 3) Replacement of personal name by a common noun. 4) Phonetic or morphological adaptation to the target language. 5) Replacement with the equivalent in the target language. 6) Replacement by a more widely known name from the source culture or an internationally known name with the same function. 7) Replacing a name with another name from the target language or substitution. 8) Translation of names with a particular connotation. 9) Replacement by a noun with another or additional connotation. 10) Delete. After presenting the ten strategies of Van Coillie's theory, 5 strategies were used by the translator more than other strategies, and under each strategy, explanations and several examples of those strategies and the percentage of their use compared to 200 samples were mentioned in the data analysis section.ConclusionThe strategy of non-translation, reproduction, and copying was recognized as the most used strategy of this documentary by 36%, and one can understand the source-oriented perspective of the documentary translator. According to statistics, the copying of the names of geographical places with 57% is more than the copying of the names of characters with 38%. In the field of tourism, the strategy of non-translation, reproduction, and copying is considered the most suitable translation strategy, because introducing the unique attractions of a region is one of the goals of the translator in this type of texts, which should be preserved and distinguished by mentioning its original name. In the second strategy, the criterion is the way of pronouncing a proper name with the phonetic rules of the target language, and the translation method had a special place in this strategy. In the third strategy, complete and incomplete deletion has occurred in some proper names. The fourth strategy or copying with additional explanations was used to inform the audience and express its implicit meaning. Finally, the last strategy, replacement with an equivalent, seems to be useful in the form of integration with another strategy in tourism texts. Therefore, in general, the combination of strategies is considered a suitable choice in the translation of proper names of tourism oral texts. In this documentary, we have seen examples of combinations, and one of the best combinations is the combination of copying with equivalence. But combination as an independent strategy remains hidden from Van Coillie's point of view.
