Translation in Arabic language and literature
Abdolbaset Arab Yousofabadi; Noura Mahboubeh
Abstract
Abstract Pseudo-translation refers to texts that seem like translations but do not have a source in other languages, so they lack any real linguistic transfer or translation connection. Such works represent a compelling subject for researchers engaged in translation studies. It is essential to identify ...
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Abstract Pseudo-translation refers to texts that seem like translations but do not have a source in other languages, so they lack any real linguistic transfer or translation connection. Such works represent a compelling subject for researchers engaged in translation studies. It is essential to identify the motivations and techniques of pseudo-translation within the literary framework of the target society. A notable instance of pseudo-translation is the novel "Adame Zende," translated by Ahmad Mahmoud. In the novel's introduction, Mahmoud identifies the author as an Iraqi named "Mamduh bin Atal Abunazal.". However, an analysis of the textual, genre, and discourse levels of the novel unequivocally indicates that Mahmoud is its creator. The study uses a descriptive-analytical approach to look into where the fake translation of "Adame Zende" came from. The main methods are based on Toury's (1995) target-oriented model and Liu's (2019) three-level analysis framework. The research findings indicated that Ahmad Mahmoud, motivated by the desire to convey progressive topics and critique politicians, employed an innovative method of characterization and endeavored to present his work as a translation by emulating the text and paratext of authentic translation works. These procedures have partially shielded Mahmoud from the incisive scrutiny of auditors and literary critics.IntroductionMany experts regard the novel "Adame Zende" by Ahmad Mahmoud as a pseudo-translation. In the novel's preface, he identified the author as an Iraqi named "Mamduh bin Atal Abunazal" and acknowledged that he translated the work from Arabic into Persian. Through an examination of the text, paratext, and discourse of the novel, one can assert that this work was not translated from Arabic to Persian; instead, Mahmoud is the genuine author of this novel. He selected Iraq, a nation socially and politically akin to Iran, as the setting for the narrative and published the book under the pseudonym "Mamduh bin Atal Abunazal" to address particular issues and circumvent censorship. Mahmoud's modifications in this work underscore the intentional Arabicization of the narrative style, which scholars in Arabic translation recognize via their analysis of this text. The primary objective of the research was to demonstrate that this work constitutes a pseudo-translation at the levels of text, paratext, and discourse. To attain this objective, we sought to address the following inquiries: What are the primary reasons contributing to the emergence of pseudo-translation in "Adame Zende"? What are the key tactics employed by Ahmed Mahmoud in translating this work?Literature ReviewDespite extensive research on pseudo-translation across numerous countries and perspectives, just a single paper addressing this topic exists in the Arabic language within the fields of literary and translation studies. This research is an Arabic translation of the English article titled “Inter-temporal translation within a single language as a relevant category in translation studies” (2016) by Hila Kars, translated by Idris Mansour, which presents the principal theories of pseudo-translation articulated by Kars. Conversely, numerous research studies have been undertaken in both Persian and English about pseudo-translation, a selection of which is outlined below:In his 2005 book "Transliteration and Pseudo-Translation," Ahmad Okhovvat compiled a series of articles, highlighting that authors often employ pseudonyms to obscure their identities, thereby eliciting increased discussion about themselves while remaining unseen. Okhovvat introduced works known as pseudo-translations.In the article "Pseudo-Translation as a Sub-Branch of Literature," Mohammadi Dehchashmeh (2013) scrutinized the authenticity of the Persian translation of Charlie Chaplin's letter to his daughter, analyzing it from economic and sociological perspectives. He attributed the inauthenticity of this translation to censorship and suppression.In the article "Pseudo-translation on the edge of reality and fiction," Gursaglar (2014) analyzed the pseudo-translation of Swedish author Hanna Hindbeck's memoirs of an Ottoman police officer, contextualizing it within the historical developments of the Ottoman era and demonstrating how Hindbeck employed pseudo-translation to intertwine narratives and historical facts.In their 2017 article "Zabihullah Mansouri and the Mystery of Pseudo-Translation," Mahmoudzadeh and Vahidikia assert that the majority of Zabihullah Mansouri's works are original texts disguised as translations, attributing this phenomenon to Mansouri's distinct perspective on the translator's role as a narrator within the texts.Research Methodology The factors and motivations behind the pseudo-translation of "Adame Zende" were analyzed in various aspects, including evasion of censorship, commendation and condemnation of characters and policies, the creation of an alternative character, and alterations in writing style. Following the demonstration of Ahmad Mahmoud's scientific and logical motivations for translating this work, the strategies employed in the text of "Adame Zende" to simulate a translation were scrutinized. The answers were analyzed at three levels: text (syntax, loanwords, grammatical errors, and stylistic aspects), paratext (title, author's name, introduction, and footnotes), and discourse (cultural, political, and social context). We prepared the modifications in this study based on the topic, objectives, and research inquiries. Finally, we categorized and analyzed the data to present the most significant research findings.ConclusionIn addressing the initial research question, it is evident that Ahmed Mahmoud's primary purpose for presenting the novel "Adame Zende" as a translated work is to circumvent censorship. In this work, he critiques issues such as managerial corruption, political demagoguery, and populist flattery. Mahmoud appears to have attempted to evade the scrutiny of the audit by framing these subjects as pseudo-translation. The author's secondary motivation is to both commend and criticize the characters inside the narrative. In this composition, Mahmoud commends the narrator's integrity while denouncing the hypocrisy and dishonesty of politicians and their affiliates. His tertiary motivation is to develop new characters. In contrast to Mahmoud's other works, the characters in the novel "Ademe Zende" exhibit complexity, unpredictability, and ambiguity. By employing this pseudo-translation, Mahmoud ostensibly sought to dissociate himself from his customary style of depiction. Conversely, the lexical, syntactic, and rhetorical characteristics of this work appear to resemble those of his prior produced works. It appears that Mahmoud did not endeavor to establish a new writing style and employed the same linguistic approach as in his prior works for this piece as well.Concerning the second research question, the results showed that Ahmed Mahmoud tried to write a novel at the textual level by using techniques like borrowing, calque, linguistic blending, grammatical errors, fragmented writing, and adding ironies from the source language to give his work the essence of the translation. An analysis of the work's paratext revealed that the title of Mahmoud's translation was selected to closely align with Arabic language and culture, thereby signifying its nature as a translation. The purported author of the original text is also fictional and denotes Ahmed Mahmoud himself. In the preface of his pseudo-translation, Mahmoud provided ambiguous details regarding the author and attempted to deter people from pursuing the author's identity. In the footnotes of the book, Mahmoud endeavored to render his pseudo-translation credible by highlighting the author's writing and stylistic errors, while also incorporating the remarks of the purported author. Conversely, the analysis of the discourse features in "Adame Zende" revealed that the author incorporated cultural elements and social circumstances from Arab countries into his translation to enhance its authenticity. Additionally, this work addresses progressive topics including liberty, justice, and the struggle against corruption. The design of these progressive ideas appears to be Mahmoud's primary impetus for producing the work "Ademe Zende."
Abdul Basat Arab Yousef Abadi; Fereshteh Afzali
Abstract
With the expansion of linguistic relationships among nations, the cultural impact has a natural effect and causes the creation of a mutual relationship between language and culture. Considering this case the most affected language can be more exposed to the entrance of vocabularies and language interpretations. ...
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With the expansion of linguistic relationships among nations, the cultural impact has a natural effect and causes the creation of a mutual relationship between language and culture. Considering this case the most affected language can be more exposed to the entrance of vocabularies and language interpretations. So the role of the translator as the agent of transferring the culture of the source language to the target one is salient. In some Arabic works, there are words and structures which are considered as cultural taboo. Moreover, the translator should apply the most appropriate strategies that on the one hand can reduce the negative meaning of the taboo and on another hand can be loyal to the source language. It seems that euphemism is a good way for translation of taboo. This research tries to investigate taboos in the novel "alhava" written by "hayfa baytar" based on the descriptive analytical method and provides the most suitable translation for them relying on euphemism linguistic tools. The results indicate that by applying euphemism for translating taboos in the of novel effects on preserving and strengthening of social self-concept contact of the Persian audience. The furthermore respectively semantic implication (23%) semantic extension (20%) and metonymy (18%) are the most frequent mechanism in translation taboo words.
