1

School of Languages

Comparative Analysis of the Cultural

References in Original Version and its

Translation

(Only in London :إنها لندن ياعزيزي)

by

Emtinan Alqurashi

This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfilment of the

requirements of the degree of

BA (Hons) Arabic/English Translation and Interpreting

Supervised by Hassane Lounis

07 MAY 2010

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...................................................................................... 4

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 5

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 1: LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND TRANSLATION ......................... 7

1.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 7

1.2 THE CONCEPT OF LANGUAGE .............................................................................. 7

1.3 THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE ................................................................................. 8

1.4 THE CONCEPT OF TRANSLATION ........................................................................ 11

1.5 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE .................................. 12

1.6 TRANSLATION AND CULTURE .............................................................................. 13

1.7 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................... 14

CHAPTER 2: TRANSLATION STRATEGIES .................................................. 16

2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 16

2.2 DIFFICULTIES OF TRANSLATING CULTURAL REFERENCES ................................. 16

2.3 IVIR‟S STRATEGIES FOR THE TRANSLATION OF CULTURES ................................ 17

2.3.1 Borrowing .................................................................................................. 18

2.3.2 Definition .................................................................................................... 20

2.3.3 Literal translation ...................................................................................... 21

2.3.4 Substitution ................................................................................................ 23

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2.3.5 Lexical creation ......................................................................................... 24

2.3.6 Addition ...................................................................................................... 25

2.3.7 Omission .................................................................................................... 26

2.4 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................... 26

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................... 28

3.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 28

3.2 HANAN AL-SHAYKH ............................................................................................ 28

3.3 THE NOVEL ......................................................................................................... 29

3.4 ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................ 30

3.4.1 Food ........................................................................................................... 30

3.4.2 Clothes ....................................................................................................... 32

3.4.3 Religious terminology .............................................................................. 33

3.4.4 Names of people, places and miscellaneous ...................................... 35

3.4.5 Idioms and common terminology ........................................................... 36

3.5 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................... 39

CONCLUSION ................................................................................................... 40

REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 42

APPENDIX ......................................................................................................... 46

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the name of Allah the Almighty, the most Gracious and most Merciful. I must

thank Him for giving me the opportunity, strength and courage to further my

studies at this level.

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me the possibility to

complete this dissertation. First, I would like to thank the School of Languages

for giving me the opportunity to study and complete the Bachelor degree, and

for allowing me to submit this piece of work. Then, I would like to thank my

supervisor Hassane Lounis for his supports and guidance throughout the

dissertation completion.

Finally, I am indebted to my loving husband, Mohammed Tashkandi for his

support and care, which enabled me to achieve my lifetime dreams and goals.

I further extend this gratitude to my caring parents for their supports and

endless prayers for my successful completion of the Bachelor degree.

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INTRODUCTION

Every language has its own culture and this at times creates cultural gaps.

Also, every culture has some typical terms that may not be found in another,

and these are cultural references. Therefore, both culture and language are

inseparable as they are like two sides of a coin.

The main aim of translation is not just to transfer the meaning from the Source

Language to the Target Language, but also to establish contacts between

cultures. In other words, “Translation is a kind of activity which inevitably

involves at least two languages and two cultural traditions” (Toury, 1978: 200).

Translators are required to have sufficient knowledge of both the source

culture and the target culture. Therefore, translators are required to be not only

bilingual, but also bicultural. Their role is to deal with these cultural gaps when

translating unmatched elements of culture.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this dissertation is to provide a comparative analysis of the original

version "إنها لندن اعززي" (This is London, My Dear), written by Hanan Al-shaykh

in 2001, and its translated version “Only in London” ( by Catherine (فقط ف لندن

Cobham. In order to achieve this aim, the project is divided into three

chapters, as outlined below.

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The first chapter introduces the notion of culture and language. It also

discusses the relationship between language and culture, as they cannot be

separated from each other. The chapter also explores the relationship

between translation and culture and how they interrelate to each other.

The second chapter discusses the difficulties a translator my face when

translating unmatched elements of culture (cultural references), and the

strategies that can be used to deal with them. It also discusses the

approaches on analysing cultural translation provided by Ivir (1987), which are

cultural borrowing, definition, substitution, lexical creation, literal translation,

omission and addition. Examples will be provided and discussed for each

strategy. Newmark‟s views on cultural references will also be looked at and

organized.

The third chapter provides an analysis of the novel “ Only in“ ”إنها لندن اعززي

London”. It shows how the strategies discussed in chapter two have been

used in order to translate unmatched elements of culture.

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CHAPTER 1: LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND

TRANSLATION

1.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses cultural references and explains the meaning of the

concept of language and translation. The aim of this chapter is to show the

interaction between language and culture, and the relationship between

translation and culture. It shows how cultural references have been defined by

many scholars and how Newmark divided them into different categories based

on the reference type.

1.2 The Concept of Language

Language, according to Kramsch, (1998), can be defined as a system of

communication of consisting sounds, codes and symbols which is used by

people to share knowledge and experience. In other words, people identify

themselves and others through their use of language, and they view their

language as a symbol of their social identity.

“Languages are the best mirror of human cultures, and it is through

the vocabulary of human languages that we can discover and

identify the culture- specific conceptual configurations of different

people of the world”.

(Wierzbicka, 1992:22)

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Language is at the heart of culture and it is a way that people communicate

that results in the continuation of life energy. Sapir and Whorf (cited in

Bassnett 2002: 22) state that “No language can exist unless it is steeped in the

context of culture; and no culture can exist which does not have its centre, the

structure of a natural language”. Sapir also claims that “language is a guide to

social reality and human beings are at the mercy of the language that has

become the medium of expression for their society”.

1.3 The concept of culture

Culture is a very complex term and many scholars have tried to identify its

concept. Indeed, it has been a subject of debate for a long time. Culture

includes behavioural norms, customs, and values, and it reflects the

personality of individuals (Tashkandi, 2009). Therefore, every culture has

unique terms that cannot be found in others. According to Baker (1992), “The

source-language word may express a concept which is totally unknown in the

target culture”. Kramsch (1998: 10) defines culture as

“Membership in a discourse community that shares a common

social space and history, and common imaginings; even when they

are have left that community, its members may retain, wherever

they are, a common system of standards for perceiving, believing,

evaluating and acing”.

Newmark (1988: 94) defines culture as “the way of life and its manifestations

that are peculiar to a community that uses a particular language as its means

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of expression". He believes that each language group has its own specific

culture. He has categorised cultural terms as follows:

1) Ecology: geographical features, animals, plants

Geographical features are usually value-free, politically and commercially and

that is how they can be distinguished from other cultural terms. On the other

hand, their diffusion depends on the importance of their country of origin as

well as their long degree of specificity. (Newmark 1988:96)

For example: camel always refers to the Arab world, kangaroo refers to the

Australian culture, and panda and dragon refer to the Chinese culture.

2) Material Culture: food, clothes, houses and towns, transport

Food: the most important term of national culture for many people. It is subject

to the widest range of translation procedures. A range of media - multilingual

glossed cookbooks, food guides, tourist brochures, journalism - increasingly

contain foreign food terms (Newmark, 1988:97).

For example: Kabsa كبسة, a traditional meal in Saudi Arabia, and Foul and

Flafelفول وطعمة, a traditional meal in Egypt.

Clothes: people dress according to the environment they live in. Newmark

(1988:97) argues that "it has to be borne in mind that the function of the

generic clothes term is approximately constant, indicating the part of the body

that is covered, but the description varies depending on climate and material

used".

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For example: in Islam women must wear a veil which covers their head and

body, called Hijab حجاب, while in other religions women can wear whatever

they like. The terms شماغ وعقال Egal and Shemagh, refer to traditional clothes

men wear in Gulf countries.

Transport: is dominated by American English and the car, also called a 'bus',

'motor', or 'crate', as well as twenty six other words, and is a symbol of private

property in many countries (Newmark, 1988: 98).

3) Social Culture: work and leisure

Newmark (1988: 98) believes that "in considering social culture one has to

distinguish between denotative and connotative problems of translation".

Proverbs can be considered part of a certain society.

For example: the Arabic proverb البعد عن العن بعد عن القلب has an equivalent in

the English culture which is out of sight out of mind.

4) Organizations, Customs, Activities, Procedures,

Concepts: political and administrative, religious, and artistic.

Political and administrative: The political life of a country is reflected in its

institutional terms; for example, the title of the head of state (President, Prime

Minister, King) or the name of the parliament (Newmark, 1988:99).

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Religious: The Arabic language, for example, has a lot of religious terms, such

as Allah هللا, halal Jihad ,حالل Ramadan ,جهاد Hajj ,رمضان and lots of other ,حج

terms that have become well known in most cultures.

Artistic: The translation of artistic terms, such as Art Deco, referring to

movements, processes and organizations generally depends on the putative

knowledge of the readership (Newmark, 1988:102).

5) Gestures and Habits

For example: The colour of a bride‟s dress is a good example of habits. In

most countries white is the colour of the dress of the bride, while in India it is

red. Therefore, it is important for translators to consider these cultural

differences between languages during the process of translation.

1.4 The concept of translation

Translation, according to Bassnett (2002: 21), is frequently used to transfer the

meaning contained in the Source Language (SL) to the Target Language (TL)

through competent use of the dictionary and grammar. This process also

involves a whole set of extra- linguistic criteria. According to Catford (1965:

20), translation can replace a textual term in one language with an equivalent

textual term in another language.

“The process of translation between two different written languages

involves the translator changing an original written text (the source

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text or ST) in the original verbal language (SL) into a written text

(Target Text or TT) in the original verbal language (TL)”.

(Munday 2008:5)

In Roman Jakobson‟s article, (cited in Munday 2002: 5), “On Linguistic

Aspects of Translation”, he categorises translation as follows:

1) Intralingual translation or “rewording”: an interpretation of verbal signs by

means of other signs of the same language.

2) Interlingual translation or “translation proper”: an interpretation of verbal

signs by means of some other language.

3) Intersemiotic translation or “transmutation”: an interpretation of verbal signs

by means of signs of a non- verbal sign system.

For all these three types, Jakobson goes on immediately to point out the

central problem. Usually, there is no full equivalence through translation; even

obvious synonymy does not yield an equivalent.

1.5 The relationship between language and culture

Language, according to Bassnett (2002: 3), is a system of communication

used by a particular community or country. It is an expression of the culture

and individuality of its speakers, and influences the way its speakers perceive

the world. Faiq (2004: 1) argues that over time, languages generally do

change phonologically, morphologically, syntactically and semantically, while

cultures do not change so quickly and remain rooted to their respective pasts.

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“Language is the heart within the body of culture, and it is the interaction

between the two that results in the continuation of life- energy.” (Bassnett

2002: 22). Therefore, the relationship between language and culture can be as

inseparable as two faces of a coin.

According to Nida (2001: 14), language mirrors the cultural aspects of a given

society and helps to identify them. Language sometimes ceases to explain

things "outside itself'. In other words, language sometimes cannot explain

cultural references but can always help to identify them. This is simply

because some cultural references cannot be understood without fully

understanding their original meaning. Newmark (1988: 94) believes that each

language group has its own specific culture.

Brown (cited in Valdes, 1986: 45) thinks that culture is actually an essential

part of the interaction between language and thoughts. Its patterns, customs

and ways are reflected in language.

1.6 Translation and culture

Translation requires the understanding of both languages and cultures. In

order to achieve successful translation, translators need to transmit all cultural

references into accurate terms which sound like the original text. Ivir (1987:

38) describes translation as a way of establishing contact between cultures. In

addition, Catford (1965: 21) considers process of the translation as a linguistic

operation that is performed on languages. The main objective of translation is

not only to cross the linguistic boundaries that exist between two different

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languages, but also to bridge the cultural gap that exists between two different

cultures.

Casagrande (cited in Ivir 1987: 36) argues that

'One does not translate languages, one translate cultures. That it is

possible to translate one language into another at all attests to the

universalities in culture, to common vicissitudes of human life, and

to the like capabilities of men throughout the earth, as well as to the

inherent· nature of language and the character of the

communication process itself: and a cynic might be add, to the

arrogance of the translator‟.

Language usually refers to the definition of culture and vice versa. Many

scholars agree that language can be considered as part of culture. Language

and culture are linked to each other, and the integration of an element into a

culture (and into the conceptual framework of its members as individuals)

cannot be achieved unless and until the linguistic expression of that element

integrates into the language of the culture (Ivir, 1987: 35).

1.7 Conclusion

Translation does not only involve two different languages, but also two

different cultures. It aims to deal with linguistic boundaries and tackle the

cultural gap that exists between two different cultures. It is impossible to

produce a translation exactly the same as the original work. Newmark (1988:

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102) considers translating cultural words and institutional terms to be the most

problematic area of translation. He also considers the cultural differences

between languages that refer to any of the following categories: Ecology

(geographical features, animals, plants), Material Culture (food, clothes,

houses and towns, transport), Social Culture (work and leisure),

Organizations, Customs, Activities, Procedures, Concepts (political and

administrative, religious, artistic), and Gestures and Habits. Therefore,

translators must have sufficient knowledge of the source-language culture as

well as the target-language culture, and must also have an understanding of

inter-cultural communication.

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CHAPTER 2: TRANSLATION STRATEGIES

2.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses the difficulties a translator may face when translating

cultural references. It will also discuss Ivir‟s strategies, which can be used by

any translator, that help to fill cultural gaps. These strategies are: cultural

borrowing, definition, substitution, lexical creation, literal translation, omission,

and addition. Examples for each one of these strategies will be provided and

disscussed in this chapter.

2.2 Difficulties of translating cultural references

Although the concept of translation is inseparable from the concept of culture,

translating the differences between two cultures represents an area of difficulty

for translators especially when translating idioms, phrases and expressions

that are culturally bound. Catford (1965: 21) considers the central problem of

translation practice is finding TL translation equivalence.

“Translation between languages of disjunct cultures is more difficult

than carrying out translation between languages that are culturally

related or similar. This does not imply, however, that translation

between languages that are culturally related or similar is a

straightforward activity. In fact, it embodies some serious pitfalls

from the translators as well, though to a lesser degree compared

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with translation between languages of different cultures”. (Ilyas,

1989: 123)

According to Newmark (2003: 94), there will be a translation problem unless

there is a cultural overlap between the source and target language and its

readership. In other words, the translation problem will not exist if both

languages are similar.

Nida (1964:130) discusses the importance of both cultural and linguistic

differences between the SL and the TL, concluding that "differences between

cultures may cause more severe complications for the translator than do

differences in language structure". The differences between cultures may, on

the one hand, be small and not important, or they could be significant and

challenging. Translators of cultures have to deal with two languages and two

cultures. Therefore, they must have sufficient knowledge of both the SL and

TL in order to guarantee translation of the source culture without confusion,

misleading or translation loss.

2.3 Ivir’s strategies for the translation of cultures

Cultural references exist between languages and may create translation

problems during the translation process. In other words, the cultural terms in

the SL may not have an equivalent in the TL. According to Ivir (1987: 37),

"When a translator face an element in the source culture which is absent from

the target culture, the translator relies on different procedures that enable him

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to convey to members of the target culture the content of that particular

element. When the target culture lacks an element (object, concept, social

institution, pattern of behaviour, etc., its language will normally lack an

expression in the target language that will adequately convey the missing

element to the speakers of the language."

Therefore, In order to help the translator treat the unmatched elements of a

culture, Ivir (1987: 38) has provided seven strategies, as follows: borrowing,

definition, literal translation, substitution, lexical creation, addition, and

omission. However, all of these procedures may not guarantee that the

cultural gap will be overcome, but they all achieve communicative equivalents

in translation. Moreover, it may be necessary to use two procedures together

rather than one in order to achieve transfer of cultural information (Ivir 1987:

38).

2.3.1 Borrowing

Borrowing is transferring directly an SL expression into the TL. In other words,

it is taking words straight into the target language (Munday, 2001: 56). It also

introduces a foreign element into the TL and reproduces the original term. For

instance (Jihad: جهاد), (Quran: قرآن), (Abaya: عباة), (Microwave: ماكرووف). It

provides a very precise translation of cultural information and is usually

followed by a definition. Once the cultural expression enters the target

language, then it can be used freely in all contexts and collocations in which it

is used in the source language. Borrowing does not apply to all cases of

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cultural gap; it makes sense only if there is sufficient need for it in the target

text or in the target culture in order to ensure its multiuse (Ivir 1987: 39).

According to Dickins (2002: 235),

“Culture borrowing is taking over an SL expression verbatim from

the ST into the TT; the borrowed term may remain unaltered in form,

or it may undergo some degree of transliteration. NB culture

borrowing differs from expression verbatim, but adapt calque and

exoticism, which do not use the ST it into the TL, However

minimally”.

An example of religious cultural borrowing is as follows:

خطر لك أن بوسعك الزواج من صالح الدن على أن تطلب أن تكون العصمة بدك سلفا؟ وأنت، ألم

ما معنى ذلك؟

تطلقل حن تشاان مملل تماما معناا أن بوسعك

“And did it not occur to you that you could marry Salah al-Din on condition you

return your „isma?”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that you retain the right to divorce him whenever you wish, just as he

does exactly.”

(Thawabteh 2008).

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In this example, it can be observed that the function of „isma‟ العصمة in Arabic

may be inconceivable and difficult for the TL readers to understand. In terms

of Arab traditions, „isma‟ has much to do with „who is entitled to break up a

marriage‟.

2.3.2 Definition

Translators use definition in order to transfer cultural terms from the SL into

the TL, and to explain terms that do not exist in the TL. In other words, it

means reducing the unknown to the known and the unshared to the shared. It

depends on what the target language reader knows and makes them aware of

what they do not know.

The definition is usually given in the body of the text or in a footnote when a

borrowed term is first introduced, so it is mainly used in combination with

borrowing (Ivir, 1987: 40).

An example of cultural definition is as follows:

وإذا ترملت تدخل عدتها األولى

If she is widowed, she enters her first „idda. “the legally prescribed period of

months during which she may not see a man or remarry”.

(Thawabteh 2008).

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The word عدتها is an Arabic and Islamic term which might not exist in the TL.

The definition came right after the borrowed term “idda” and gives an

explanation to the TL reader in the body of the text between brackets.

2.3.3 Literal translation

Literal translation is when the SL grammatical constructions are converted to

their nearest TL equivalents, but the lexical words are again translated singly

and out of context. Munday (2008: 57) defines it as a word-for-word

translation, which is most common between languages of the same family and

culture. In other words, it is the procedure of filling cultural and lexical gaps in

translation and is the commonest method of cultural transference (Ivir, 1987:

41).

According to Dickins (2002: 238): "Literal translation is an SL-oriented, word-

for-word, style of translation in which the denotative meaning of all words in

the ST is taken as if straight from the dictionary, but the conventions of the TL

grammar are respected. It is mainly adopted to achieve precision in the target

text (TT) and it produces a translation that is both transparent and faithful to

the SL".

The translator may judge the literal translation to be unacceptable because it

might give a different meaning or no meaning at all. It is sometimes impossible

for structural reasons, it may not have a corresponding expression within the

metalinguistic experience of the TL, and it may correspond to something at a

different level of language (Munday, 2008: 57).

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An example of literal translation is as follows:

1. Labour-intensive production

Radon intenzivna proizvodnja (Serbo-Croatian)

(Ivir, 1987)

2. Take, O take those lips away

That so sweetly were foresworn

And those eyes, the break of day

Lights that do mislead the morn

خذوا ذا الشفاا بعدا خذوا،

بحالوة حنمتالت

وتلك العون، انكسار الصباح

أضواء الت تضل الصباح

(Naguib 2005)

In the second text the translator has translated the word “take away” in text A

literally, using the term خذوا in text B. This is acceptable but the actual meaning

of it is أبعدوا, and the term “sweetly” in text A has been translated to بحالوة in text

B, which could be translated as ف عذوبة. Also, “the break of day” in text A has

been translated literally to ر الصباح انكسا although it means الفجر, and “lights” in

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text A has been translated into أضواء in text B, which sounds weird in the

target language (Naguib, 2005: 17).

2.3.4 Substitution

Translation by cultural substitution involves replacing a culture-specific item or

expression with a target-language item which does not have the same

propositional meaning but is likely to have a similar impact on the target reader

(Baker, 1992: 31).

In addition, it is a strategy that is available to the translator when two cultures

display a partial overlap rather than a clear-cut presence/absence of a

particular element of culture. It refers to the case where the translator uses

equivalent words that are ready-made in the TL, and serve the same goal as

those of the SL. In other words, the translator is tempted to exploit that

similarity and use the corresponding target-language expression as a full

equivalent. In such a case, the translator makes the decision depending on the

cultural closeness of the two elements (Ivir, 1987: 43).

Examples of cultural substitution are as follows:

1. Tel père, tel fils “French”

ذا الشبل من ذاك األسد

2. She is innocent as an egg

Elle est innocente comme un agneau “French” (Zakhir 2008).

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In these two examples it can be observed that the translators substitute the SL

terms with expressions that are culturally specific in the TL. For instance, the

example in text 2 uses the term “agneau”, which means lamb, as a cultural

equivalent for the word “egg”. Yet, if the translator cannot find a specific

cultural expression in the TL that substitutes the cultural expression of the SL,

he should resort to paraphrase.

2.3.5 Lexical creation

Lexical creation, which is a less frequently used procedure, can be defined as

a new term that is produced in the target language. This newly created lexical

item is culturally „empty‟ and ready to receive and convey the intended content

of the source culture element (Ivir, 1987: 45).

“Lexical creation is attempted by the translator when the communicative

situation rules out a definition or literal translation, when borrowing is

sociolinguistically discourage, and substitution is not available for

communicative reasons”.

(Ivir, 1987: 45)

An example of lexical creation is as follows:

Bezalkoholna pića “Croatian”

Soft drinks

(Ivir, 1987)

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In the first sentence, the Croatian term literally means “without alcohol drinks”.

However, a combination of these words refers to a new element of culture,

which leads to the new meaning “soft drinks”.

2.3.6 Addition

Dickins defines addition as something added to the TT which is not present in

the ST, and it is a common strategy in Arabic / English translation (Dickins,

2002: 243). It turns out that the addition of cultural information might be a

necessary procedure in the translation of implicit elements of a culture. (Ivir

1987: 47)

Examples of cultural addition are as follows:

1. The white house announced today

صرح المتحدث الرسم للبت األبض الوم

الهمنة التركةمنذ .2

Ever since the days of Turkish hegemony

(Dickins, 2002: 24)

In both sentences, additional words have been added to the TL in order to

make the meaning understandable, namely "المتحدث الرسم" in text 1, and “ever”

and “the days of” in text 2. We cannot translate the sentence by saying “since

the time of Turkish hegemony” because it does not lead to the actual meaning.

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2.3.7 Omission

Omission is when something occurs in the ST which is simply omitted from the

TT. It reflects the different ways in which Arabic and English link text together

(Dickins, 2002: 234).

Under some circumstances, omission can be a valid and useful solution to a

translation problem. For instance, omission may be a justifiable way of dealing

with certain elements which are found to be untranslatable, such as

metalinguistic references, and context-specific or culture-specific content.

Additionally, translators may be justified in omitting what would be perceived

as unnecessary or redundant by the target audience.

Example of omission is as follows:

...وكان الراس األمرك بل كلنتون قد أكد مساء أول أمس

Two days ago, the American President, Bill Clinton, confirmed…

The English language does not use the particularly elegant style used to

express the concept “two days ago in the evening”.

2.4 Conclusion

Both language and culture are inseparable elements of translation. However,

passing culture references is one of the main difficulties in translation.

According to Ivir (1987: 36), when choosing a particular procedure the

translator's strategy is governed by the nature of the cultural terms to be

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translated (their semantic content and linguistic expression in the source

language and the contrastive relationship to the possible correspondence in

the target language) and the nature of the communicative process in which it

appears (the function of that term in the particular act of communication). It is

important for the translator to use different strategies when translating new

cultural reference terms in order to avoid such problems and to establish

contact between two cultures. However, it is not an easy task to decide which

of the strategies is more appropriate, although they do all lead to achievement

of the communicative equivalent in translation (Ivir, 1987: 38).

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CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS

3.1 Introduction

This chapter analyses the strategies of translating cultural references that

have been used during the translation process in the novel “Only in London”,

which was published by the author Hanan Al-Shaykh in 2001. The chapter

begins by providing a short biography about the author and an overview about

the novel. Then it discusses the analysis of the cultural references of the novel

by dividing them into different categories: (food, cloths, religious terminology,

names of people, places and miscellaneous, and Idioms and common

terminology) (Newmark, 1988). In addition, it discusses how Ivir‟s strategies

have been used when translating unmatched elements of culture. It also

provides both the original Arabic terms and its English equivalent translation.

3.2 Hanan Al-Shaykh

Hanan Al-Shaykh was born in 12th November 1945 in Beirut and brought up in

Ras al-Naba, She is a Lebanese novelist, short-story writer, play writer, and

one of the leading contemporary women writers in the Arab world. Because of

the civil war, she left Beirut In 1975 and moved to the Arabian Gulf. Since

1984, she has lived in London with her husband and two children.

(Bloomsbury Publishing 2010)

Her first appearance as a writer was in 1970 when she wrote انتحار رجل مت

“Suicide of a Dead Man”. Then, حكاة ز رة “The Story of Zahra” was published

Emtinan Alqurashi

29

in 1980 which made her become famous. After that, she wrote مسك الغزال

“Women of Sand and Myrrh” in 1989 which was chosen as one of the 50 best

books of 1992 by Publishers Weekly, and it was followed by برد من بروت

“Beirut Blues”. In 1994, the novel أكنس الشمس عن السطح “I Sweep the Sun Off

Rooftops” was published. Finally, she wrote إنها لندن اعززي “Only in London” in

2001. (LEBWA 2009)

Al-Shaykh stories deal mainly with women's role in society, the relationship

between men and women, and the institution of marriage. She writes

exclusively in Arabic but her novels were still banned in many Arab countries.

Most of her novels have been translated into English and several other

languages and published around the world. (The Independent 2001)

3.3 The Novel

The novel Only in London (2001) has been translated into English by

Catherine Cobham. It shows the living types of four different people from

different countries and cultures. The novel's four protagonists are Lamis,

Nicholas, Amira, and Samir.

Lamis, an Iraqi woman who forced into an early marriage with a wealthy Iraqi

who ignores her, is recently divorced leaving the son she has left with his

father, and has an affair with Nicholas, an Englishman who is an expert in

Arabic and eastern antiquities, Amira, a Moroccan woman who lives off

immoral earnings, and Samir, a Lebanese who illegally delivering a monkey

Emtinan Alqurashi

30

which he has great trouble getting rid of. The novel contains a lot of cultural

references terms and that must be taken in consideration in the analysis.

3.4 Analysis

3.4.1 Food

The Arabic term الشاورما والشش طاووق (p. 38) has been translated to “shawarma

and chicken kebab” (p. 23)

At most of the time, the term شش طاووق is generally translated to Shish Taouk

by borrowing the term or chicken tikka by replacing it with its nearest

equivalent. The term “Shawarma” has been translated by using the cultural

borrowing strategy.

The Arabic term الفالفل (p. 38) has been translated to “falafel” (p. 23)

The translator translates this term فالفل to “falafel” by borrowing the original

term. She used this term because falafel has become well known and familiar

to the TL readers.

The Arabic term كعكة بالزعتر (p. 37) has been translated to “sesame buns” (p.

23)

The term زعتر has been translated to “sesame” while it originally means thyme,

and the term “sesame” means سمسم. On the other hand, this type of buns

contains some sesame so thyme and sesame buns would be a better

translation of كعكة بالزعتر.

Emtinan Alqurashi

31

The Arabic term فستق حلب (p. 45) has been translated to “pistachios” (p. 29)

The word “pistachios” means فستق in Arabic while the term فستق حلب actually

means a kind of pistachios that comes from Aleppo حلب, Syria. The translator

here did not mention that specific kind of pistachios and omit the term. She

could say “a type of pistachios from Aleppo or Syria” in order to inform the TL

reader that this refer to a kind of food from the Arab World.

The Arabic term البسبوسة (p.56) has been translated to “A piece of cake” (p. 37)

This term البسبوسة could not be translated to anything but A piece of cake

because obviously there is no equivalent for the Arabic term in the TL.

Therefore, the term A piece of cake would be a good substitution and

understandable for the TL readers.

The Arabic term الكسكس (p. 142) has been translated to “Couscous” (p. 96), The

term ملوخة بأرانب (p. 55) has been translated to “Molokhiya with rabbit” (p. 36),

The term حمص (p. 126) has been translated to “hummus” (p. 86) and The term

has been translated to “Basmati rice” (p. 99) (p. 145) األرز البسمت

All of these terms has been translates by using the borrowing strategy. They

are many kinds of Arabic food and there are no equivalents for them in the TL.

The term حمص should be translated as humous because this term is well

known in most of restaurants and supermarkets, while the term Couscous is

originally a French term and Arabs used that term, therefore, it could be used

in English as the nearest equivalent in translation. The term ملوخة Molokhiya

Emtinan Alqurashi

32

has been borrowed from the SL and it is related to a kind of Arabic food; the

term corchorus, another term for Molokhiya, is an English term and using it

would give a better translation for the original Arabic term. On the other hand,

The Arabic term األرز البسمت was translated by using the borrowing strategy; it

was a good choice since the term Basmati rice is well known in the TL.

3.4.2 Clothes

The Arabic term نادل النساء السوداءم (p. 82) has been translated to “black veils”

(p.55) and the term منادل الرأس الشفافة (p. 355) has been translated to

“transparent head scarf” (p. 238)

Both of Arabic terms are referring to women‟s scarf which covers their head

and hair. The translation in both sentences has given different meaning, which

could be as accessories, and the TL reader would not know what they exactly

mean. However, the translator should use another term like Hijab which is well

known in TL and give the correct meaning of the Arabic terms.

The Arabic term has been translated (p. 87) حذاء واطاا بمقدمة طولة وكأنل حذاء عالء الدن

to “flat shoes with long tips, like a pair of Aladdin slippers” (p. 58)

The term حذاء means shoes but it has been translated to slippers which is a

good choice because the term Aladdin slippers is well known to the TL reader.

The Arabic term السوداءالعباات (p. 37) has been translated to “black abayas” (p.

23) and the term عرب بدشادشهم البضاء(p.37) has been translated to “Arabs in

long white robes” (p. 23)

Emtinan Alqurashi

33

In the first case, the translator used the cultural borrowing strategy and it was

the right choice because the TL reader is familiar with term abayas. In the

second case, بدشادشهم البضاء , an explanation was provided because there were

no equivalent of it in TL.

3.4.3 Religious terminology

The Arabic term أعوذ باهلل (p. 28) has been translated to “No” (p. 17) and The

term أعوذ باهلل (p. 99) has been translated to “God forbid” (p. 67)

The term أعوذ باهلل in the ST has been translated differently depending on the

context. For instance, the first one Lamis was offered a glass of wine which is

prohibited in her religion, she responded immediately with No. However, if she

responded God forbid as in the second sentences, the meaning will be

delivered to the TL readers correctly. The second one, Amira was asked by

Nahid if she was fat then Amira said God forbid which means absolutely not or

definitely not.

The Arabic term بسم هللا الرحمن الرحم (p. 50) has been translated to “In the name of

God the compassionate the Merciful” (p. 32) and بسم هللا الرحمن الرحم (p. 40) has

not been translated

The term بسم هللا الرحمن الرحم refer to the Islamic and Arab culture. It is the

opening term of all the chapters of the Quran. In the first case, the translator

translated the Arabic term literally as In the name of God the compassionate

the Merciful. However, she has chosen to omit it in the second case.

Emtinan Alqurashi

34

The Arabic term حالل (p. 70) has been translated to “Halal” (p. 48), the term

ابن الحالل has been translated to “Muezzins” (p. 234) and the term (p. 347)المؤذنن

(p.101) has been translated to “The man of her dreams” (p. 68)

In the first two cases, the translator could not find an equivalent for them in the

TL so she decided to use the borrowing strategy; and the term Halal became

well known in the TL. In the third case, the translator substitutes the term ابن

by the term The man of her dreams which gives the exact meaning as الحالل

the ST.

In Arabic الحتفاالت الدنةا (p. 82) has been translated to “The religious celebration

of Ashoura” (p. 55)

In the TL, Addition and Literal translation has been used to translate this term

الحتفاالت الدنةا in the SL. The term The religious celebration is literal translation;

and the term Ashoura is added to the TL but it might not be understandable to

the TL readers. Therefore, a combination of addition and definition should be

used in order to explain what Ashoura means.

The Arabic term حرام أن تطلق (p. 88) has been translated to “You mustn‟t

divorce, you can‟t” (p. 59) and the term بتهزر والنب (p. 55) has been translated

to “Was joking”

Both of Arabic terms are religious and cultural terms; and might not be

understood in TL. Therefore, the translator used the substitution strategy in

Emtinan Alqurashi

35

both cases in order to make the term understandable to target language

readers.

The Arabic term اللهم صل على النب وروح النب (p. 104) has been translated to “A

prayer for the Prophet and his household” (p. 71)

is an Islamic term said by Muslims during their daily اللهم صل على النب وروح النب

prayer. The translator has translated the term روح as household while it

actually means soul. This lead to change in the meaning of the original term;

therefore, it should be translated literally in order to keep the original meaning.

3.4.4 Names of people, places and miscellaneous

The Arabic term النارجلة (p. 106) has been translated to “Narghiles” (p. 72)

The translator translated the word النارجلة literally to Narghiles. However, the

TL readers will not understand what does it means because it is not common

in TL. Another way of translating it is to use a term that is familiar and well

known in the TL like hubble- bubble.

The Arabic term الكحل األسود (p. 32) has been translated to “Black Kohl” (p. 19)

The strategies that have been used are borrowing and literal translation. The

term الكحل األسود is an odd term for TL readers; and it should not be their

problem to look for each odd word meaning. Therefore, a definition of the term

could be used or substitute it with the term eyeliner which could be the الكحل

nearest equivalent.

Emtinan Alqurashi

36

In Arabic النجف (p. 82) has been translated to “Najaf, the holy city of Iraq” (p.

54)

In this context Najaf, the holy city of Iraq, the translator used the definition

strategy in order to explain to the TL readers what the city of Najaf is. The term

Najaf by itself would be meaningless if the translator did not define it.

In Arabic أم أربعة وأربعن (p. 372) has been translated to “Spiderwoman” (p. 249)

The term أم أربعة وأربعن in the ST has a negative meaning and it is an

expression used when a woman is hated by someone else, or if somebody

was talking negatively about particular woman. The translated term

Spiderwoman might not give the same meaning as in Arabic and the TL

readers probably would not understand what the author meant.

3.4.5 Idioms and common terminology

The Arabic term أنا بعرضك (p. 48) has been translated to “Please” (p. 32)

The term above أنا بعرضك means not just please but also and more likely I beg

you. The translation here does not give the same expression as Arabic. So the

term أنا بعرضك should be translated to I beg you in order to give the meaning as

in Arabic.

The Arabic term أنتم كرماء ونحن نستا ل (p. 133) has been translated to “You‟re

generous and we deserve it” (p. 91)

Emtinan Alqurashi

37

The idiom أنتم كرماء ونحن نستا ل has been translated literally to You‟re generous

and we deserve it but the TL reader might not receive the same idea in the

same way. The translator here did not find an equivalent to the idiom so she

translated as it appears in the original text.

The Arabic term البعد عن العن بعد عن القلب (p. 337) has been translated to “Out of

sight, out of mind” (p. 226)

The translator here translated the Arabic proverb البعد عن العن بعد عن القلب by

using the substitution strategy. It is one of the most common strategies when

translating proverbs. The TL readers will understand what the author meant

because a proverb from their own language has been provided.

The Arabic term حدا بحبش قبرا بإدا (p. 48) has been translated to “That‟d be

asking for trouble” (p. 31)

The translation That‟d be asking for trouble gives the meaning of the Arabic

phrase حدا بحبش قبرا بإدا. It might also be translated literally as would somebody

dig his grave with his own hands but both of the translation would achieve the

meaning.

The Arabic term رب صدفة خر من ألف معاد (p. 148) has been translated to “A

chance meeting is better than a thousand rendezvous” (p. 101)

The translation here A chance meeting is better than a thousand rendezvous

of the Arabic proverb رب صدفة خر من ألف معاد shows what the author exactly

Emtinan Alqurashi

38

meant. The translator used an equivalent English proverb which makes the TL

readers clear about the idea of author.

The Arabic term روحة بال رجعة (p. 46) has been translated to “Go then, and I

hope you don‟t come back” (p. 29)

The translator has not found an equivalent of the proverb روحة بال رجعة in

English so she translated it as Go then, and I hope you don‟t come back by

using the addition strategy. In order to explain the expression, providing more

information is important.

The Arabic term حدثكل حادث ل (p. 245) has been translated to “Who knows”

(p.166)

The expression كل حادث حدثل originally means when things happen, then we

will talk about them. The TL readers will not receive the real meaning of this

expression. Since it has no equivalent in English, the translator decided to

translate it as Who knows which does not show what the author meant.

The Arabic term هللا من برة اهلل اهلل ومن جوة علم (p. 54) has been translated to

“Doesn‟t live up to its reputation?” (p. 54)

This phrase means that somebody is showing a من برة اهلل اهلل ومن جوة علم هللا

good thing but they are actually completely the opposite. For instance,

somebody might show love and respect for someone but they actually hate

them. Therefore, the translation here “Doesn‟t live up to its reputation?” does

Emtinan Alqurashi

39

not show the exact meaning. It is possible to say she is not as good as she

looks like.

The Arabic term ا ز رة ف خال (p.55) has been translated to “Farid Al- Atrash‟s

Rose in my Heart” (p. 35)

The author mentioned ا ز رة ف خال which is a title of an Arabic song, while it

has been translated to Farid Al- Atrash‟s Rose in my Heart by using both the

substitution and the addition strategy.

3.5 Conclusion

The analysis of Only in London shows how Ivir‟s strategies have been used in

order to handle cultural references by dividing them into different category:

(food, cloths, religious terminology, names of people, places and

miscellaneous, idioms and common terminology) (Newmark, 1988). The

translator had to use different strategies and procedures each time when

dealing with complex cultural references terms in the source text. Therefore, it

is not possible to use a single strategy or decision to fill cultural gaps.

Emtinan Alqurashi

40

CONCLUSION

This research has shown that language is essential part from culture; and they

cannot be separated from each other. Translators do not only deal with two

languages but also with two different cultures; and they aim to transfer the

cultural terms from one language to another. Therefore, Sapir and Whorf

considered language as the heart of the culture; and any language cannot

exist unless it is steeped in the context of culture (cited in Bassnett, 2002: 22).

Although the concept of translation and culture are inseparable from each

other, translating two cultures represent an area of difficulties for a translator.

Catford (1965: 21) considers that "the central problem of translation practice is

that of finding TL translation equivalence. Therefore, passing culture

references is one of the main difficulties in translation. Newmark (1988:102)

considers translating cultural terms is the most problematic area of translation.

He also categorised the cultural term as followed: Ecology (geographical

features, animals, plants), Material Culture (food, clothes, houses and towns,

transport), Social Culture (work and leisure), Organizations, Customs,

Activities, Procedures, Concepts (Political and administrative, Religious,

artistic), and Gestures and Habits.

Translators have to handle the linguistic boundaries, as well as dealing with

the cultural gaps that may exist between two different cultures. They, also,

must have sufficient knowledge in the SL culture as well as the TL culture. In

Emtinan Alqurashi

41

addition, translators should use different strategies in order to avoid problems

and to establish contact between two cultures.

There are seven strategies suggested by Ivir (1987: 38) to help the translator

to tackle the unmatched elements of culture, and they are: (borrowing,

definition, substitution, lexical creation, literal translation, omission and

addition). They were explained in details and showed how they can be used in

order to fill the cultural gaps when facing unmatched element of culture.

However, not all of these strategies are guaranteed to fill the cultural gap, but

they will eventually achieve the meaning. In addition, it is preferred to use two

procedures together rather than one in order to achieve transferring of cultural

information (Ivir, 1987: 38).

This project analyses the translation of the cultural references that have been

used in the translation of the novel only in London by the author Hanan Al-

Shaykh published in 2001. This analysis has been provided by dividing them

into different categories: (food, cloths, Religious terminology, Names of

people, places and miscellaneous, and Idioms and common terminology)

(Newmark, 1988). The translator, Catherine Cobham, was quite successful in

dealing with the large amount of cultural references that exist in the source

text. However, a possible alternative was suggested to substitute the one

which may carry other meanings to the translation, and a discussion of its

translation follows.

Emtinan Alqurashi

42

REFERENCES

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12. Ivir, V. (1987) “Procedures and strategies for the translation of culture” In

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24. Ordudari, M. (2007), Translation Procedures, Strategies and Methods.

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Emtinan Alqurashi

46

APPENDIX

Source

Text

Page Target Text Page Category Strategy

ابن الحالل

101 The man of her

dreams

68 Religious Substitution

االحتفاالت

الدنة

82 The religious

celebration of

Ashoura

55 Religious Addition

األرز

البسمت

145 Basmati rice 99 Food Borrowing

No 17 Religious Substitution 28 أعوذ باهلل

God forbid 67 Religious Literal 99 أعوذ باهلل

translation

أم أربعة

وأربعن

372 Spiderwoman 249 Names Substitution

Umm Kalthum 31 Names Transliteration أم كلموم

Please 32 Idioms Substitution 48 أنا بعرضك

Emtinan Alqurashi

47

أنتم كرماء

ونحن

نستا ل

133 You‟re generous

and we deserve

it

91 Idioms Literal

Translation

A piece of cake 37 Food Substitution 56 البسبوسة

بسم هللا

الرحمن

الرحم

50 In the name of

God the

compassionate

the Merciful

32 Religious Literal

Translation

بسم هللا

الرحمن

الرحم

40 Has not been

translated

Religious Omission

البعد عن

العن بعد

القلبعن

337 Out of sight, out

of mind

226 Idioms Substitution

بنتنا الحلوة

لموسة

337 Little Lamis (p.) 225 Names Substitution

The Tabbouleh 23 Food Borrowing 37 تبولة

حدا بحبش

قبرا بإدا

48 That‟d be asking

for trouble

31 Idioms Substitution

Emtinan Alqurashi

48

حذاء واطاا

بمقدمة وكأنل

حذاء عالء

الدن

87 Flat shoes with

long tips, like a

pair of Aladdin

slippers

58 Clothes Addition

حرام أن

تطلق

88 You mustn‟t

divorce, you

can‟t

59 Religious Substitution

Halal 48 Religious Borrowing 70 حالل

hummus 86 Food Borrowing 126 حمص

رب صدفة

خر من ألف

معاد

148 A chance

meeting is

better than a

thousand

rendezvous

101 Idioms Literal

translation

Abazza 35 Names Omission 54 رشدي أباظة

روحة بال

رجعة

46 Go then, and I

hope you don‟t

come back

29 Idioms Addition

Shawarma 23 Food Borrowing 38 الشاورما

Emtinan Alqurashi

49

الشش

طاووق

38 Chicken kebab 23 Food Substitution

العباات

السوداء

37 Black abayas 23 Clothes Borrowing

عرب

بدشادشهم

البضاء

37 Arabs in long

white robes

23 Clothes Addition

Pistachios 29 Food Omission 45 فستق حلب

Falafel 23 Food Borrowing 38 الفالفل

الكحل

األسود

32 Black Kohl 19 Names Borrowing and

Literal

Translation

Couscous 96 Food Borrowing 142 الكسكس

كعكة

بالزعتر

37 Sesame bund 23 Food Substitution

لكل حادث

حدث

245 Who knows 166 Idioms Substitution

Emtinan Alqurashi

50

اللهم صل

على النب

وروح النب

104 A prayer for the

Prophet and his

household

71 Religious Omission &

Substitution

Majnun Layla 95 Idioms Transliteration 141 مجنون للى

Musk Names Borrowing مسك

ملوخة

بأرانب

55 Molokhiya with

rabbit

36 Food Borrowing

من برة اهلل

اهلل ومن

جوة علم هللا

54 Does‟t live up to

its reputation?

54 Idioms Substitution

منادل

الرأس

الشفافة

355 Transparent

head scarf

238 Clothes Substitution

منادل

النساء

السوداء

82 Black veils 55 Clothes Substitution &

omission

Muezzins 234 Religious Borrowing 347 المؤذنن

Narghiles 72 Names Borrowing 106 النارجلة

Emtinan Alqurashi

51

النجف

82 Najaf, the holy

city of Iraq

54 Names Definition

والنب

99 Has not been

translated

68 Religious Omission

والنب

بتهزر

55 Was joking Religious Substitution

وردة

الجزاارة

The Algerian

Warda Al

jazairiya

70 Names Transliteration

ا ز رة ف

خال

55 Farid Al-

Atrash‟s Rose in

my Heart

35 Idioms Substitution+

Addition