The Translation of Proper Names in Children's Literature from English into Arabic
Date
2019-10-17
Authors
Issa, Sana
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
جامعة النجاح الوطنية
Abstract
This study focuses on the translation of proper names in children literature taking Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as a case study. A descriptive study is conducted for the data collected from the English source text, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and its official Arabic translation. It investigates the procedures used by the Arab translator, Ahmad Hasan Mohammed, and the problems that resulted from the use of some translation procedures that the translator employed. Klingberg’s (1986) model for the translation of cultural items is used for the analysis of procedures. The study also focuses on examining the invented names by J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. The analysis in chapter three shows that the translation falls within Venuti’s (1995) concepts of domestication and foreignisation. While most proper names relating to the English and Western culture are foreignised, the invented proper names are domesticated. Furthermore, the researcher contend that the deletion of some invented names affects the plot development. While Mohammed deletes some of the invented names, he is also inconsistent in his translation of invented names and his use of translation strategies