Documenti di Didattica
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Emtinan AlQurashi
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05/12/2008
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mranslation is frequently used to transfer the meaning from Source Language (SL) to
marget Language (mL) and it is a way of establishing contacts between cultures. In
other words, Ơtranslation is a kind of activity which inevitably involves at least two
languages and two cultural traditionsơ. (moury 1978: 200). It is important to understand
the relation between language and culture in order to train translators to conceive the
concept of cultural references. mherefore, cultural references and their strategies will be
discussed in this essay.
mo begin with, Culture can be defined as sets a group of people, or a community, apart
from another group of people or from the rest of the world. Moreover, Newmark
defined the culture Ơas the way of life and its manifestations that are peculiar to a
community that uses a particular language as its means of expression" (1988: 94).
Every culture has unique terms that cannot be found in another culture which is called
Cultural reference.
1.M Borrowing
2.M Definition
3.M Literal mranslation
4.M Substitution
5.M Lexical Creation
6.M Addition
7.M Omission
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mext A
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mext B
ƠAnd did it not occur to you that you could marry Salah al-Din on condition you
return your Ɲisma?ơ
ƠIt means that you retain the right to divorce him whenever you wish, just as he
does exactly.ơ
In this example, it can be observed that the function of Ɲismaƞ in Arabic may be
inconceivable and difficult for the mL readers to understand. In terms of Arab
traditions, Ɲismaƞ has much to do with ƝWho is entitled to break up marriage?ƞ.
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Cultural substitution refers to the case where the translator uses equivalent
words that are ready-made in the mL, and serve the same goal as those of the
SL. In other words, the translator substitutes cultural words of the SL by cultural
words of the mL.
mext 1A
mext 1B
mext 2A
mext 2B
(Marouane 2008)
In these two examples, it is observed that the translators substitute the Sms by
expressions which are culturally specific in the mL. For instance, the last example
uses the term Ɲagneauƞ as a cultural equivalent for the word Ɲeggƞ. Yet, if the
translator cannot find a cultural specific expression that substitutes the cultural
expression of the SL, he should resort to paraphrase.
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Lexical creation can be defined as a term that created in the mL, and this newly
created lexical item is culturally Ɲemptyƞ and ready to receive and convey the
intended content of the source culture element.
mext A
mext B
Soft drinks
(Gideon 1987)
In the text A, the Croatian sentence literally means Ơwithout alcohol drinksơ.
However, the combinations of these words refer to a new element of culture and
that led to a new meaning which is Ơsoft drinksơ.
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Something occurs in the Sm and simply omitted from the mm. It reflects the
different ways in which Arabic and English link bits of text together. (James
2002:23)
mext A
...< A# ?@ ; > =.; 9 ( : <4( ;#
mext B
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(Ives 1999:3)
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Addition defined as something added to the mm which is not present in the Sm. It
is common feature in Arabic/ English translation. (James 2002:24)
mext A
;(=
.B 7.
mext B
(James 2002:24)
In text B, additional words are added to the mm in order to make the meaning
understandable which are ƠeverƠ and Ơthe days ofơ. We cannot translate the
sentence by saying Ơsince the time of murkish hegemonyơ because it does not
lead to the actual meaning.
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mext A
mext B
If she is widowed, she enters her first Ɲidda. Ơthe legally prescribed period of
months during which she may not see a man or remarryơ.
mhe word B is Arabic and Islamic term and it might be not exist in mm. It
should be explained to the mm reader the meaning of this word by a footnote or
between brackets in order to get the meaning of it.
mext A
mext B
(Ezzeldin 2005:18)
mhe translator here translated text B carefully without changing the words in
order to get just one meaning for the translation.
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(Jeremy 2008:57)
a
mo sum up, both language and culture are inseparable elements of translation.
However, passing culture references is one of the main difficulties in translation. It is
important to the translator to use the culture translation strategies in order to avoid
such problem and to establish contact between two cultures.
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Mundy, Jeremy (2008). Introducing translation studies. Routledge: London and New York
Dickins, James and Hervey, Sandor and Higgins, Ian (2002). mhinking Arabic mranslation,
Routledge: London and New York
As-Samman, Ghada (1994). Al-Qamar Al-Murabba: Qisas Garaƞibia. Manšurat Ghada As-
Samman: Beirut, mranslated by Issa J. Boullata (1998) As mhe Square Moon: Supernatural
males. mhe University of Arkansas: Fayetteville
Newmark, Peter (1988). A mextbook of mranslation. Princes Hall International (UK) Ltd: London,
New York, moronto, Sydney, mokyo, Singapore
moury, Gideon. (1978). Revised (1995). mhe Nature and Role of Norms in mranslation. In Venuti,
L. mhe mranslation Studies Reader. Routledge: London
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