Investigating the Arabic translation of cultural elements in the story Modir-e Madrese based on Newmark's theory

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Assistant Professor in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature at Imam Khomeini International University in Qazvin.

Abstract

Literary texts and more particularly, "the narrative text", assume pivotal roles in expressing culture. Therefore, the translation of these texts demands accurate conversion of any language’s cultural elements. The study at hand, through a descriptive-analytic approach, intends to analyze the Arabic version of Jalal Ale-Ahmad’s Modir-e Madrese based on Newmark’s cultural theory, in order to derive the most important cultural elements of the story and the challenges in their translation. Also addressed by the study, is presenting practical methods of accurately translating and transforming the cultural parts and parcels according to Newmark’s theory. The story of Modir-e Madrese helps the manifestation of a lucid view in the social, cultural, and administrative institutions of the author’s temporal and local milieu. Evaluation of the quality of transmitting local and cultural elements in lieu of translation, indicates the entanglement of cultural and linguistic elements which has impelled the translator to utilize diverse strategies of translating them in Arabic. A number of the untranslatable cultural elements have been conceptually translated. Functional equivalents and the explanation of the cultural elements’ conceptualization in the translation of the story, is the dominant and challenging concern of the translator. He has undertaken efforts to assimilate the story appropriately to the target language in his translation.  

Keywords

Main Subjects

Article Title [العربیة]

إشکالیة تعریب العناصر الثقافیة فی روایة مدیر‌المدرسة وفقاً لنظریة نیومارک

Abstract [العربیة]

تلعب النصوص الأدبیة وخاصة الروائیة منها دوراً بارزاً فی نقل العناصر الثقافیة التی تتحلّى بها اللغات. ترجمة هذه النصوص من لغة إلى لغة أخرى تتطلب النقل المناسب للعناصر الثقافیة لکل لغة. إذن بناءً على هذه الأهمیة تعالج الدراسة الحالیة باستخدام المنهج الوصفی-التحلیلی، إشکالیة تعریب روایة مدیر‌المدرسة للروائی الشهیر الإیرانی جلال آل أحمد وفقاً لنظریة نیومارک فی نقل العناصر الثقافیة، لکى تکشف أهمّ التحدیات التی واجهها المترجم فی ترجمة العناصر الثقافیة، وتقدّم استراتیجیات عملیة مناسبة لترجمة تلک العناصر الثقافیة وفقا لآراء نیومارک. أظهرت نتائج الدراسة أنّ روایة مدیر‌المدرسة تعکس صورة واضحیة للنظام الاجتماعی والثقافی فی عصر المؤلف، وتتشابک العناصر الثقافیة واللغویة فیها؛ ممّا دفع المترجم إلى استخدام استراتیجیات مختلفة فی ترجمة العناصر الثقافیة. حیث إنّ المترجم لجأ إلی الترجمة المفهومیة لترجمة بعض العناصر التی لا یمکن ترجمتها بمعنى ذاتها فی لغة الهدف، وحاول أیضاً أن یجعل نص الروایة أقرب ما یمکن إلى اللغة الهدف (العربیة)، فأصبح استخدام المعادلات الوظیفیة وشرح العناصر الثقافیة فی ترجمة الأثر هو النهج السائد والأکثر استخداماً لدیه.

Keywords [العربیة]

  • مدیر المدرسة
  • العناصر الثقافیة
  • الترجمة
  • بیتر نیومارک

References

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