The Translatability of Culture-bound Expressions in Kanafaani's Rijaal Fi Al-Shams (Men in the Sun) into English
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Date
2019-06-27
Authors
Al-Iwadi, Huda
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
جامعة النجاح الوطنية
Abstract
This study aims at investigating the problems that arise while translating culture-bound expressions in Kanafaani's Rijaal Fi Al-Shams (Men in the Sun). Furthermore, it sheds light on the strategies used to overcome such problems as an attempt to determine the translatability of such expressions into English. This study argues that culture-bound expressions are an integral part of understanding the source language text and translating it well; that is, transferring it in a way that target language readers would recognize as natural and acceptable.
Throughout the present research, in an attempt to achieve the purpose of the study, the researcher employs a descriptive- analytical approach in which a set of culture-bound expressions identified by the present researcher as posing difficulties to translators of Arabic literary texts into English are collected, described, and compared with their translations. Later on, a detailed analysis of the lexical, grammatical, and stylistic choices that the sole translator of Rijaal Fi Al-Shams(Hilary Kilpatrick) has opted for is conducted to determine the mechanisms used for transferring these expressions as an endeavor to suggest some alternatives for those that seem to be mistranslated.
The findings of the present study show that translating culture-bound expressions in Kanafaani's novella is problematic because of the cultural gaps between English and Arabic languages. A translator's knowledge of translation strategies and kinds of cultural equivalence that should be used is considered a must. In addition, acquiring ample knowledge of both the source language and the target language and of the implications behind culture-bound expressions is vital