Translation and Applied Linguistics

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Performance of EFL Students in The Requesting Speech Act : English-Arabic Translation
(2001) Maria Yousef Al-Aqra'; Ahmad A. Atawneh; Odeh J. Odeh
Modal items are considered of the most intricate linguistic units facing translators. Although the notion of modality is universal, there might be, often, a mismatch between the modal system in one language and that m another. Such discrepancy might cause different pragmatic interpretations across cultures and languages, which, in turn, might lead to communication breakdown or pragmatic failure. In an attempt to better understand such an issue, this research explores the translatability of non-epistemic, root modals (i.e., modals used for social interaction) employed in the requesting speech act from English into Arabic. It also holds a comparison /contrast between American English and Arabic in terms of employing appropriate (modal) request strategies. Moreover, it examines whether the competency level (Cl.) in L2 affects appropriate performance. The author used three kinds of questionnaires to test eighty undergraduate learners of English as a foreign language in Palestine: Results revealed that there was a noticeable disparity between native Americans' and Arabs' employment of modals, and therefore, of request strategies. In the TT, it was found that the politeness as evidenced in the source language (i.e., English) was not carried over in the target language (i.e., Arabic). Thus, English "would", "will", "could", and "can" were all rendered into Arabic "mumkin" or "btiqdar". On the other hand, the CL was found to be insignificant in subjects' performance. The incapability of the translators to match English politeness weights might be attributed to cultural differences, and, basically, to a flaw in the teaching process, including teachers, materials, and syllabi. The thesis consists of five chapters: chapter one states the problem and its significance besides the purposes of the research; chapter two reviews literature on cross-cultural politeness and modality with particular focus on English and Arabic; chapter three describes subjects of the study, method and procedures; chapter four presents the results and their analysis; and, finally, chapter five gives a summary and recommendations.
Rendering Lexical Repetition in Arabic Fictional Discourse into English
(2001) Majdi Jehad Abu-Zahra; Dr. Hazem Najjar; Dr. Ruqayya Herzallah
This is a study on how lexical repetition IS managed by professional translators when translating a piece of Arabic fictional narrative discourse into English. Particularly, it is a study of the various types of lexical repetition in Arabic fictional narrative discourse and the strategies employed by professional translators to render lexical repetition into English. Through an examination of lexical repetition to excerpts from three Arabic literary works, different types of lexical repetition are found: complete lexical repetition, partial lexical repetition, repetition of special structures and repetition of idiomatic expressions. On examining the translated texts, it is found that formal equivalence is possible only with the first occurrence of a repeated lexical item. Instead, other several strategies are used to handle lexical repetition and to make the translation sound native, thereby meeting the Target Language (TL, henceforth) norms and expectation of text cohesion. These strategies are synonymy and near-synonymy, deletion, ellipsis, pronominalisation and paraphrase. It can be argued that the use of such strategies is generally motivated by the need to rid the English version of the high frequency of certain words in the Source Language (SL, henceforth) text and create variation in the English text. Recommendations are given to novice Arab translators on how to manage lexical repetition when translating a piece of fictional narrative from Arabic into English. This study falls into four chapters. Chapters one and two are theoretical, while chapters three and four practical. In chapter one, a general introduction to the topic is outlined, highlighting the problem of lexical repetition and the need for translation strategies to manage this repetition into English. Chapter two gives a theoretical review of repetition. Repetition is defined from different perspectives. This study adopts a concise definition. Other aspects of repetition, especially in Arabic, such as the functions and types of repetition are examined. In chapter three, a textual analysis of repetition in excerpts from three Arabic stories and their professional translation is attempted, paying special attention to the different types of repetition and translation strategies employed to render lexical repetition into English. In chapter four, the conclusion and recommendations are given. Finally, some recommendations on how to handle lexical repetition in Arabic-English translation are put forward to novice translators.
Markedness Theory as it Relates to Word Order in Translation between English and Arabic
(2004) Ibrahim Mohammed Salem Battat; Dr. Nabil Alawi
This study deals with the problem of markedness in translation between English and Arabic. The two languages differ in word order and in the relative degree of freedom in word order because Arabic is an inflectional language. Such differences create problems to translators between the two languages. A sequence in one language may not have the same meaning of a sequence in the other language although both sequences have identical word order. The Arabic sentence المعلمُ مسحَ اللوحً    does not mean “The teacher cleaned the board,” although both sentences have identical word order.  The English translation does not account for the marked meaning signalled in the Arabic sentence by bringing the agent to front position before the verb. The problem of accounting for markedness in translation is approached at the sentence level between Classical Arabic and Modern Standard English.  The unmarked (canonical) word order and the marked word order in Arabic are approached and justified in terms of the theory of the strength of the activity of agency in Arabic.  This study also includes ways of signalling emphasis and markedness in Arabic.  A distinction is made between information structure and syntactic structure of English in terms of the Hallidayan approach and the functional sentence perspective of the Prague School.  Marked word order in English is approached in terms of the degree a component has on the scale of communicative dynamism.  A distinction between correct and incorrect word orders in English is made in terms of phrase structure rules. This study includes recommendations for researchers to study other factors that affect word order in English and Arabic.
Staging and Monitoring in Arabic and Non-Arabic Media Discourse
(2004) Dana Omar Abed Al-Kareem Adas; Ruqayah Herzallah
This study aims at finding out how Arab & Western Media writers reflect their own manipulative reportage. In plain terms, the purpose of this study is to objectively foresee the responses of the readers through studying the hidden perspectives in media discourse. In the course of analyzing the texts from a discoursal perspective, the researcher will highlight how Arab and Non-Arab media writers stage their language. The analytical categories of the study include staging (thematic structures and linearization, passivization or activization, and lexical choice). Staging reveals how the writer’s topic area is structured and how avoiding staging, especially in media discourse, receives no cooperation on part of the readers, i.e. there is a good likelihood that they aren't implicitly affected. For the sake of analysis, three topics from six Arab, and six Non-Arab newspapers, are extracted. This data is analyzed in accordance with discourse analytical approaches (Brown and Yule, 1983; Beaugrande & Dressler, 1981). In this vein, one can understand how media is effectively manipulated in the Arab & Non-Arab Worlds. Other samples from expository news reports translated from Arabic into English are to be chosen to see how Arab translators render the texts into English since the study builds on the assumption that foreigners may read what Arabs write. The study ends with the conclusion that Arab media discourse (according to the present analysis) addresses two views, one defending the Israelis, and the other favouring the Palestinians. The former is portrayed through implicit linearization, i.e. linearization of themes. The latter is supported through (inconsistent) lexical emotiveness. When the text is translated into English, there is a good chance that it would not reflect the Palestinian viewpoint. Arab media writers may unintentionally order the themes in a way reflecting the Israeli attitude. It is this (un)intentionality that should be taken at face value. The study recommends that translators exert all their effort to transfer the actual viewpoint of the Arab public, and not that of the political parties or leaders. Arab writers, of the presented data, are required to pay attention to staging devices in media discourse especially when it comes to its indirect and hidden modes such as linearization.
The Translatability of Cognitive Synonyms in Shakespeare's Macbeth: A Comparative, Contrastive Study
(2006) Mahmoud Khaleel Mahmoud Ishrateh; Dr. Odeh Odeh
This study investigates the notion of cognitive synonyms in literary works in English-Arabic translation. In order to highlight the problem under discussion, the study explores the translation of some cognitive lexical items in their original context of use. The researcher takes these cognitive synonyms from Shakespeare's Macbeth as a case study. This comparative/ contrastive study focuses on how cognitive synonyms are translated by four translators of Shakespeare's play: Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Khalil Mutran, Farid Abu-Hadid and Hussein Ameen. The present study argues that cognitive synonyms are harder to translate than any other lexical items due to some subtle differences that exist between cognitive synonyms. Shakespeare sometimes associates fine-grained semantic connotations with words. Synonyms are used to convey certain implications. Differences in meaning or use among pairs of synonyms are claimed to be context-dependent. The context is the only criterion for selecting appropriate words. There are many occasions when one word is appropriate in a sentence, but its synonyms will be odd.
Abu- Dib 's Translation of Orientalism: A Critical Study
(2006) Nadia Ali Khalil Hamad; Dr. Nabil A'lawi; Dr. Abdelkarim Daragmah
Despite the flourishing movement of translation in the Arab world throughout the 20th century, few studies, if any, were produced, as hoc, on criticism and evaluation of such translations. Among these translations, the translation of Edward W. Said's Orientalism deserves special attention: it was translated into 36 languages including Arabic. The Arabic translation by the famous poet, critic and translator, Kamal Abu-Dib, was reprinted many times after its first edition in 1981. yet, concern was shown regarding some problems in the translation of this excellent work by some readers and translators. Drawing on the progress, achieved in the last few decades, in linguistics studies, especially in text-linguistics and related studies in translation, this study aims to ascertain salient problems in the Arabic translation of Orientalism, on the graphical, lexical, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic levels, and to suggest solutions where possible. The study will also investigate the consistency of the methodology adopted by the translator, evaluated the translation, and give recommendations that may benefit new Arabic editions of the book and Arabic translation, in general.
Managing and Emotiveness in the Production and Translation of Ideology: A Case Study of the Israeli Incursion into Gaza (2006)
(2007) Ahmad Abdul Kareem Mustafa Ali; Dr. Abdul Kareem Daraghmeh; Dr. Ruqayyah Herzallah
This study is aimed at exploring the implications and applications of two text-linguistic notions: ''managing'' and ''emotiveness with special reference to the production and translation of sensitive news texts. It shows how Israeli media writers use various manipulative strategies in reporting the Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip in 2006. Additionally, and more significantly, the study explores the ways translators approach sensitive news reports loaded with ideological content and news media norms to redraw the ideological map impinged in translated media discourse. For the purpose of analysis, three main news articles along with many sample texts are extracted from two Israeli newspapers, namely: Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post (2006). The data is analyzed in accordance with discourse analysis approaches (de Beaugrande and Dressler 1981, Brwon and Yule 1983, Basil Hatim 1990, 1997). As far as translation is of interest, the researcher has designed three content-based questionnaires of each fifteen copies were distributed as translation assignments to Palestinian students enrolled in the MA Program of Applied Linguistics and Translation at An-Najah National University in Nablus. The questionnaires contain three news articles in the English version (from Haaretz & The Jerusalem Post, 2006). In two of the articles, the commission is to translate the text for Al-Quds paper. The purpose is to test which parts of the text are most nervous and to describe the translation strategies employed. The first text was left non-contextualised to determine whether translators abide by or depart from the linguistic features of the ST. The thesis consists of five chapters: chapter one includes the introduction, methodology, organization of the study and review of related literature. Chapter two, negotiating text type in translation, focuses on the translation of hybrid texts and compares the translation with the original. Chapter three presents thematic structures and their effects on translation. It discusses the various norms of staging discourse, such as information structure, headline, passive vs. active, markedness and source quoting. It also compares the staging norms Al-Quds paper employs with translated target samples. Chapter four examines the ideological components that mark sensitive texts. It investigates the translation strategies employed in turning texts of sensitive nature into the TT. It also compares emotive sensitive lexis in the TT with those that appear in Al-Quds paper.
Translation of Neologisms of the Two Palestinian Intifadas: the First (1987-1993) and the Second (2000-2005)
(2007) Tareq Mahmoud Yasin Alawneh; Dr. Odeh Odeh
The study examines the translation of neologisms in the two Palestinian Intifadas to see how translators deal with them. It highlights the mistranslations and the translation problems caused by cultural, political  and linguistic differences. It categorizes these neologisms according to the standpoint of their formation and the criteria of use and of translational occurrences in English and other sources, especially Hebrew. By evaluating the correctness and the effectiveness of the neological translations, it attempts to provide some appropriate renditions for some neologisms. Furthermore, the study refers to the strategies used by translators in dealing with these culture-bound neologisms. The findings of the analysis of neologisms in translation point to the importance for translators to have the background information about the subject matter of Intifada neologisms to help them understand the concepts embodied therein, and so render the messages properly. The findings, also, show the following: 1.Achieving a translational equivalent of an Intifada neologism without considering its contextual use is not an easy task. 2.Translators often fail to convey all the nuances and the subtleties of Intifada neologisms being unaware of the cultural implications and differences between Palestinian Arabic and English. 3.Culture can not be excluded in translation because language is part of culture. 4.The dictionary is not the only source to resort to in dealing with the meanings of such neological expressions. 5.Some additions are needed to compensate the missing information in the translations so that the original meaning can be retained. The study consists of four chapters. Chapter One introduces the topic and the importance of culture in translation, the purpose, significance, limitations and methodology of the study, and statement of the problem. Chapter Two provides definitions of the concept of neologisms and reviews some related literature on the subject. Chapter Three presents an analysis of the translational occurrences of these neologisms as they appear in English sources. It also touches upon their referential and contextual meanings with focus on their instable semantic features. Finally, Chapter Four provides conclusions and recommendations for further research.
Legal Translation as an Act of Communication: The Translation of Contracts between English and Arabic
(2008) Maram Tawfiq Awad Fakhouri; Abdul Kareem Daragemeh
The importance attached to the letter of the law has meant that most studies of legal translation have been devoted to questions of terminology, while pragmatic and functional considerations tend to be disregarded. The purpose of the present study is to display how pragmatic and functional considerations have an important role in legal translation and should be taken into account when determining translation strategies. The representative data was in the form of three authentic contracts written in Arabic. These are a Real-Estate Sales Contract, a Lease Contract and an Employment Contract. Each text was translated by three certified legal translators from English into Arabic to produce nine different versions. A comparison was made of how each translator approached problematic areas of legal translation in all nine texts. After that, the study explored the applicability of Speech Act theory to legal translation by comparing the translation of regulative acts in all nine texts. As for the translation from English into Arabic, a group of graduate students studying applied Linguistics and Translation at An-Najah National University were asked to translate a "Power of Attorney" text as an assignment. In addition, a professional translator was commissioned to translate the same text. They were all asked to translate this text twice: once as part of a Legal thriller novel and another as a classified newspaper advertisement. The translated versions were scrutinized for ability to perform these new functions in the target language. The study has shown that the application of pragmatic and functional perspectives to legal translation can provide valuable insights to the translator, reinforcing the premise that legal translation is essentially an act of communication.
Translating Postmodern Literary Terminology into Arabic
(2009) Nezar Assa'd; Dr. AbdelKareel Daragmeh
The study examined the strategies of translating English occurrences of deconstructive terminology into Arabic. To this end, Deconstruction as a thought and practice was introduced- evoking implications to translation theory. Deconstruction applications in Arabic were reviewed along with examples from Arabic literary criticism. The study took the relevant terms from Jacques Derrida’s works. Taking only professional translators, the study considered the Arabic different translations of these terms. A comparison was drawn between the terms and their Arabic translations. The translations were, then, studied and analyzed-focusing on the strategies utilized. Results showed that there is a wide divergence between the various translations. The fact that some renderings are somewhat intelligible enough and others are dissatisfying is attributed to whether the term in question was studied in its cultural context. Most of the renderings, however, accounted for at least one of the meanings each term abounds with. Interpretation as a translation strategy was found to be the most convenient procedure in dealing with Derrida’s terms. This strategy requires giving an equivalent and glossing it with as much information as possible.
The Speech Act of Thanking as a Compliment Response as used by the Arab Speakers of English –a Comparative Intercultural Study
(2009) Sana' Mohammed Ibrahim Al Khateeb; Dr. Aymen Nazzal; Dr. Ahmed Awad
  This pragmatic study investigated the speech act of thanking as a compliment response as used by non-native speakers of English. The study is an attempt to find whether different cultural backgrounds, specializations, levels of evaluation and the gender of the speakers affect their use of the speech act of thanking as a compliment response. The researcher adopted a discourse completion test (DCT) in both Arabic and English as the tool of the study in order to reach the  answers of  the following questions:   1-  Are there any significant differences in the ways people from different cultural backgrounds realize the speech act of thanking? There are significant differences in the ways Arab learners of English and native speakers of English use the speech act of thanking due to the differences in their cultural backgrounds.   2- Are there differences in the way non-native speakers from different specializations (English majors, scientific stream students, literary stream students, and vocational stream students) use the speech act of thanking as a compliment response?  There are significant differences in the ways Arab learners of English use the speech act of thanking due to the differences in their specializations.   3- Does the gender of the speaker affect their use of the speech act of thanking as a compliment response? There are no significant differences in the ways Arab learners of English use the speech act of thanking due to the gender of the speakers. 4- Does the level of evaluation affect the non-native speakers' use of the  speech act of thanking as a compliment response? There are significant differences in the ways Arab speakers of English use the speech act of thanking due to their proficiency levels.   The study falls into five chapters. Chapter one introduces the problem, the aims, the significance, the limitations and the methods of the study. Chapter two gives a review of literature written on the previous studies on pragmatics and speech acts, mainly compliments and thanking. Chapter Three provides the methodology and the tools used to find the results of the study. Chapter Four shows the findings of the Discourse Completion Test (DCT) in addition to discussing and comparing them to the other studies in other languages. Chapter Five gives a summary and conclusions and provides recommendations and suggestions for further studies.
Strategies and Motirations in Translated Children Literature: Defoe's Robinson Crusoe as a Case Study
(2010) Zainab Hussein Khowayreh; Dr. Odeh Odeh
The study investigates the translation of children's literature, in general, and the translations of Defoe's ‘Robinson Crusoe’, in specific. It highlights mistranslations and likely breakdowns caused by cultural and ideological differences among Arab and foreign cultures. Owing to this, the breakdowns are categorized into: a- ideological, and b- cultural. The study also examines the various strategies obtained by the translators in dealing with these breakdowns. Analyses show that the translators have attempted to bridge the gap that might result from literal translation. The findings reveal that 1.     Translators have obtained various translation strategies including modifications, omissions, and, sometimes, additions, to avoid cultural and ideological misunderstandings. 2.     The translators' attempts to convey certain ideologies in the text were not always successful. They, intentionally, or unintentionally, ignored the fact that many of the ideologies presented in the ST are not suitable or acceptable for the Arab target readers. Therefore, children as target readers were not always taken into consideration. 3.     Age and gender are determining factors, and therefore, should be taken into account in transferring an adult’s text into one for children.
Translating Brochures Advertising Personal Care Products from English into Arabic: Strategies and Linguistic Inaccuracy
(2011) Nahedah Hashim Abu Shehab; Dr. Abdel Karim Daragmeh; Dr. Nabil Alawi
This study explores the issue of translated advertising brochures in terms of translation strategies and linguistic inaccuracies by examining a corpus of 35 English-Arabic brochures promoting personal care products. Specifically, the study identifies the translation strategies adopted in translating advertising headlines, body copies, and images. It also highlights and categorizes a few remarks of linguistic inaccuracies whose possible causes are clarified to help translators produce more adequate translations. In analyzing the corpus of brochures, the researcher adopted a descriptive and analytic approach in which examples were collected, categorized and explained, and, in some cases, more appropriate alternative translations were suggested. To give more accurate analysis and to enhance the quality of the study, the researcher conducted eighteen (18) personal interviews with people whose jobs are relevant to the personal care market. The analysis demonstrates that translating advertising brochures does not always involve giving the direct equivalent meaning in the target language (TL), but translators sometimes have to manipulate the source texts (STs) to produce readable and acceptable target texts, and so the findings showed that the strategies ranged from complete transference of the source language to complete substitution or adaptation. Finally, the study concludes with a set of recommendations that will hopefully help future researchers as well as future translators of advertising brochures.
Translating Restaurants' Menus From English Into Arabic: Problems And Strategies
(2011) Kefaya Adeeb Hafeth Saleh; Dr. Odeh Odeh; Dr. Sameer El –Isa
This study tends to identify the primary problems that face menus' translators depending on the assumption that translating menus and food terms from English into Arabic is a problematic issue. Moreover; it aims to evaluate the main strategies used in translating menus in order to judge their accuracy, faithfulness and appropriateness to the menu as a genre. The study is based on textual analysis of the corpus that includes 19 of restaurant menus in four different Arab cities: Nablus and Ramallah in Palestine, Amman in Jordan and Sharm - El- Sheikh in Egypt. The English food terms are compared with their Arabic translations and alternative translations are being suggested where is necessary and suitable. The findings reveal that the main problems of translating menus are related to brand names, proper names, culture-specific concepts and ambiguous and semantically related terms. It also shows that seven strategies are used in translating menus. However, the source –oriented strategies such as transliteration and borrowing are the most frequent. The examination of the strategies proves that each strategy has positive or negative interpretations depending on the context of use. Finally, the study concludes that the attentive reading of the source text and the good knowledge of linguistic and cultural aspects of menus on the part of translators will help to solve the problems of translating food terms and to produce satisfactory target texts which are free from errors and/or misleading and weak renderings. The recommendations built on these conclusions, the researcher hopes, will improve the process of translating menus by opening the doors for advanced research in this field from different dimensions.
Harmonization and Intertextuality in Translating Shakespeare’s Sonnets into Metrical Arabic Poetry
(2012) Niveen Aziz Muhammed Tinah; Dr. Nabil Alawi; Dr. Abdul Kareem Daragemeh
For centuries, sonnet translation has become the interest of many scholars and researchers, and they have brought many strategies and methods to theorize the process of sonnet translation. However, the existing translations of sonnets do not have the aesthetic value of the source texts, and that by using certain techniques; the translator can render a better translation. This thesis demonstrates the importance of harmonization and intertextuality as by-techniques in rendering metrical translations of Shakespeare’s sonnets by examining Bader Tawfieq’s translations of sonnets 18, 91 and 141. The analysis of Tawfieq’s translation is based on Harmonization and Intertextuality of prosodic features, lexical choice and word order, as well as figurative language including metaphor and personification. The dissertation combines Hatim and Mason’s (1990) approach of intertextuality, Abu Dieb’s (2012) idea of harmonization, and Newmark’s (1988) seven strategies in translating metaphors. And the researcher coins four patterns to harmonize the intertextual references of Shakespeare; literal production, simiproduction, alter-production and deproduction. At the end of the dissertation, the researcher concludes that it is very important for poetry translators to have enough knowledge about the intertextual places in the two languages, and that this knowledge contributes to solve the problem of sonnet translation, and helps the translator to choose better or more appropriate words and structures in his/her translation. And that such knowledge serves to translate Shakespeare's prosodic features, his dedicative lexical choice and word order, as well as Shakespeare’s figurative language by harmonizing the intertextual signs into Arabic. So the translator produces a target text (TT) of aesthetic value that is not less than the aesthetic values of the source text (ST).
The Effect of Applying Task-Based Approach on Learning English in Elementary Schools from the Teachers' Perspectives in Tubas Governorate
(2013) Noor Abdullah Fattash; د. احمد عوض
This study aimed at investigating the effect of applying Task-Based Approach on learning English amongst elementary learners from the EFL teachers' perspectives in Tubas governorate. The study examined the role of the following variables: gender, qualification, type of school, and years of experience. To achieve the purposes of the study, the researcher developed a 38- item questionnaire which was distributed amongst the whole population of the study. Moreover the researcher conducted interviews with (14) of elementary EFL school teachers. A descriptive statistical analysis was used to analyze the collected data, where the questionnaire validity was approved by consulting a jury in the same area from different universities and schools in the West Bank. The results of the study showed that there is positive effect of Task-Based Approach on elementary EFL learners. Teachers have positive attitudes towards implementing Task-Based Approach in English classes. They believe that students may learn more effectively when their minds are focused on the task, rather than on the language they are using. Furthermore the claim, which indicates that gender, type of school, qualification of the teachers and years of experience have an influence of EFL teachers' perspectives towards applying TBA are not valid according to the findings of the study.
The Translatability of Postmodern Culture Allusions in Comedy TV Shows
(2013) Samah Dawud AbdAllah Jazmawi; Dr. Abdel Karim Daragmeh
This study tackles the problem of translating popular culture allusions in comedy TV shows from English into Arabic. The purpose of this study is to provide the subtitler/translator with practical solutions that help to successfully maintain the Source Text’s humorous and allusive impacts. Additionally, it sheds light on the importance of matching the Target Language subtitles with the non-verbal acts of the actors on the screen as well as meeting subtitling norms and conventions. The data for the study were collected from various episodes of the three comic shows “Friends”, “The Flintstones” and “The Simpsons”. The shows were chosen due to their richness in popular culture references such as parodied historical, social and religious figures, quotes and place. They would also allow for a comparison between translation strategies for allusions in cartoons and those targeting adults. The selected translations were examined for their effectiveness and appropriateness in the Target Culture. On the other hand, the study provides alternative suggested Target Language subtitles selected in accordance with the potential translation strategies for allusions and subtitles as proposed by Nord (1990) and Gambier (2001), cited in Ruokonen (2010), Leppihalme (1997) and Newmark (1988). Data collection also involved online resources and film databases in order to clarify the Source Text references’ intended meanings and connotations. Besides, this study borrows Leppihalme’s (1997) allusions’ classification and translation strategies. The study has divided allusions into four main forms including proper allusive names, key-phrase (KP) allusions, stereotyped allusions and historical allusions. It has been found that transliteration and literal translation of popular culture allusions are highly rated in the Target Language, the thing that resulted in inevitable losses of the Source Text’s impacts. The loss is caused by the lack of familiarity on the part of the target Arab viewers with such references’ connotations and cultural meanings. However, following the appropriate translation methods will help minimize the loss of the humorous impact and convey the allusive intended meaning. The study emphasized that the Target Language translator should be knowledgeable, competent and responsible. Above all, comprehensive research should be implemented by the subtitler in order to reach the parodied references’ cultural and contextual values. The study has concluded that the most appropriate translation strategies for popular culture allusions are extra allusive guidance, explication, reduction and simplification. These have succeeded in preserving the original impact and ensuring the target Arab viewers’ enjoyment. Nonetheless, in some cases, the loss of the humorous effect was inevitable due to the cultural gap between the two languages.
Semantic and Pragmatic Analysis of Three English Translations of Surat “Yusuf”
(2013) Tasneem Naser Addeen Ashaer; Dr. Nabil Alawi
The continuous growth of Islam and its wide spread throughout the world has called for the need to translate the Quran. The necessity for translating the Quran lies in the fact that the teachings of Islam are found within the verses of the Quran; it is the true guide for all Muslims around the world. A large number of translations of the Quran are found in libraries and book stores carried out by Muslims and non-Muslims from different tongues and cultures. Having a large number of translations for the same book raises the question of why all the translations are not the same. This is due to the highly elevated language of the Quran and the Arabic language used in its verses with its rhetorical devices. The dissertation tries to shed some light on how the Quran should be translated and what methods of translation are to be followed when dealing with its verses. The study is based on the comparison of three translations of the Quran regarding the semantic and pragmatic issues found in surat “Yusuf”. The aim is to discover areas in which the translators were unable to capture the intended meaning of a verse due to semantic or pragmatic reasons present in the verse. The comparison is carried out in the light of some of the most important exegeses of the Quran along with important books of Arabic rhetoric and grammar. The study does not aim at judging the works of the three translators; it aims at pinpointing cases that are problematic in Quran translation so as to produce translations that are more accurate and more incongruence with the established canon of Quranic exegeses .
The Translation of Puns A Semantic or Pragmatic Equivalent
(2013) Anas Kamal Abdurrahman Khanfar; Dr. Ayman Nazzal (Supervisor).
This study investigates the translation of puns from English into Arabic, with specific reference to advertisements. It highlights the graduate and undergraduate students’ choice of meaning (pragmatic or semantic). It also highlights the influence of context upon puns, and considers whether there are other factors that influence the process of translation (such as socio-cultural factors). In exploring these points of engagement, the researcher employs questionnaires to test whether participants adhere to the pragmatic or to the semantic equivalent. In addition, he employs the Pun Decomposition Process (referred to as PDP) to identify the pun word, assign the appropriate context and determine the accurate meaning. The findings reveal that punning as a rhetorical device is one of the aspects of indirectness; as a consequence, puns are inherently misleading (by virtue of the fact that each pun word obtains more than one meaning. This feature helps to explain why students frequently encounter difficulties when engaging with puns. Secondly, pun words are frequently associated with confusion and incorrect translations. The third finding is that both graduate and undergraduate English department majors of An-Najah National University confronted two main challenges: broadly speaking, these challenges could be reduced to context and culture. Finally, this study revealed that translators should attain vital information about the socio-cultural background of the context in which the pun words occur because it enhances the understanding of the pun words and enables translators to capture the real meaning of each individual pun.
Audience Types in Translating Humor in TV Shows from English into Arabic
(2013) Siham Hassan Masoud Abu Ya'qoub; Dr. Abdel Karim Daragmeh; Dr. Nabil Alawi
This study undertakes the issue of translating humor TV shows in relation to audience types and the translation strategies by examining a corpus of seven English-Arabic humor TV shows. Specifically the study identifies the translation strategies adopted in translating children and family humorous TV shows. It also highlights the problematic issues that face any translator when translating such shows. In analyzing the corpus of the humorous TV shows, the researcher adopted a descriptive and analytic approach in which examples were collected, categorized and explained and, in some cases, more appropriate translations were suggested. The analysis demonstrates that using the formal translation strategies does not always give the intended humorous effect and sometimes causes loss in the intended humor. Consequently, the findings showed that translators tend to add, omit, change, or euphemize the source text terms and references to get the intended humorous effect in the target audience in relation to their ages, cognition and culture.

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