scholarly journals Application of Eugene Nida’s theory of translation to the English translation of surah Ash-Shams

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-18
Author(s):  
OMAR Osman JABAK
Keyword(s):  
Word Order ◽  
English Translation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Source Text

The present study aimed to test the applicability of Nida’s theory of translation to an English translation of surah Ash-Shams of the Holy Qur’an. Towards that general aim, the study provided an overview of Nida’s theory of translation and the aspects whose applicability to the English translation of surah Ash-Shams would be tested. In addition, the study examined the Editor’s Preface to the English translation of the Holy Qur’an from which surah Ash-Shams was selected. A contrastive analysis was also devised and provided to help match the source text with the target text and measure the applicability of Nida’s theory of translation to both texts. The study revealed that, in general, Nida’s theory was applicable with the exception of one aspect related to word order. It is, therefore, recommended that large-scale research be conducted on the applicability of Nida’s theory to an English translation of the whole Holy Qur’an to either confirm the findings of this study or challenge them.

scholarly journals The English Translation of the Quranic Text: The Structural Asymmetries

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yahya Dkhissi
Keyword(s):  
Word Order ◽  
English Translation ◽  
Source Text ◽  
English Version ◽  
Structural Patterns ◽  
Source Language ◽  
Selectional Restrictions ◽  
Grammatical Categories ◽  
Grammatical Functions ◽  
Principles And Parameters

The structural patterns that results from the translation of the Quran are some of the issues that have been widely studied (El-imam, 2013; Al-Amri, 2015). The current study, however, illustrates the pervasive syntactic asymmetries in the syntactic output of the translated Quranic text into English. Most translators shift from the word order in Arabic to word order in English to establish a grammatical equivalence between the source text (ST) and the target text (TT) with little consideration of the syntactic typological significance of Arabic as a source language and English as a target one. This study aims to determine the mismatch of the grammatical functions and the syntactic typology of TL vis-à-vis ST. Word order, tense shift, case asymmetry, Ellipsis, passive structures, selectional restrictions and cross formations are some of the grammatical issues that illustrate the syntactic asymmetries in the English translation adopted in this paper. The findings show that different grammatical categories exhibit syntactic asymmetries that would distort the implications or exegesis of the original ST. The findings also suggest that the English version of the translation adopted in this paper needs to be structured according to Chomsky’s (1981) principles and parameters demonstrated by the Arabic structure before the translation task is carried out.

The OV/VO alternation in early German

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Fuß
Keyword(s):  
Word Order ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Germanic Languages

This chapter discusses a set of theoretical approaches to the OV/VO alternation in Early German (with an emphasis on OHG), focusing on the question of whether it is possible to identify a basic serialization pattern that underlies the ‘mixed’ word order properties found at the syntactic surface. Based on a review of a set of OV/VO diagnostics, including for example the placement of elements that resist extraposition, properties of verbal complexes, and the significance of deviations from the source text in translations, it is argued that—despite some notable exceptions—OHG exhibits a more consistent verb-final nature than other Early Germanic languages (OE, in particular). This conclusion is supported by the observation that OV qualifies as the unmarked surface word order, which is compatible with a larger set of pragmatic contexts.

Translating space from Chinese to English: A Case Study of Cao Wenxuan’s Bronze and Sunflower

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao Meijuan ◽  
◽  
Ang Lay Hoon ◽  
Florence Toh Haw Ching ◽  
Sabariah Md Rashid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Structure ◽  
English Translation ◽  
English Language ◽  
Textual Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Narrative Space ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Similarities And Differences

Translated children’s works from English to Chinese have flooded China unprecedentedly since the end of the 19PthP century. However, there is a discrepancy in the translation of Chinese children’s works into the English language. This is maybe because western scholars are still largely ignoring Asian texts for young readers. Therefore, the research aims to fill the gap in the scholarship by studying the translated Bronze and Sunflower, which is a renowned work written by the Chinese first Hans Christian Anderson winner Cao Wenxuan, from the aspect of narrative space. A qualitative approach is adopted to compare the similarities and differences of narrative space between the source text and the target text. The samples will be taken from Cao Wenxuan’s Bronze and Sunflower and its English translation. The textual analysis is illuminated through the narratological framework, which is based on three-layered space: The topographic level, the chronotopic level and the textual level. The study explores how narrative space is constructed in the process of translating Bronze and Sunflower. It is hoped that the findings of the study will show how space is created in a different languagea, and that the translator prefers to change the narrative space rather than keeping the same spatial structure in the target text.

Stress as a Suprasegmental Phonological Shift in Translation: A New Category of Linguistic Shifts

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-235
Author(s):  
Amin Karimnia ◽  
Esmaeil Kalantari
Keyword(s):  
Original Model ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Source Text ◽  
New Type ◽  
Lexical Items ◽  
Shift Model ◽  
Mode A

Abstract This study relies on a contrastive analysis to underscore the functions of stress as a shift in translation, especially when phonological specifications can have an impact on translation. In the original model of translation shifts proposed by Catford, only segmental linguistic elements are taken into consideration, while the model totally ignores stress as a supra-segmental linguistic element. Including stress within the analytic procedures of the model can bring about a new type of shift. This implies that Catford’s categorization of shifts must be developed in order to increase its applicability, especially when phonological specifications in the source text can have an impact on grammar and lexical items in the target text. As a result of the inclusion of stress into Catford’s original mode, a revised version of the translation shift model is suggested. The study further emphasizes the various dimensions of stress and the functions it can have in oral aspects of translation and drama translation.

scholarly journals Translating The Disaster of Mourice Blanchot Between Ann Smock and Azzedine Chentouf

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-20
Author(s):  
Soufiane Laachiri
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
English Translation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Arabic Translation ◽  
Literal Translation ◽  
Original Meaning ◽  
Other Hand

The present article attempts to present a succinct and circumspect comparison between two different translations for Mourice Blanchot’s book « L’écriture du désastre ».The first translation was performed by Ann Smock in 1995 and was from French into English, while the other translation was skillfully produced by Azzedine Chentouf from French into Arabic in 2018. The contrast in attitudes and translational fertilization has provided us with ample opportunities to study, reflect on, and rethink the nexus of  Blanchot’s philosophy from different linguistic perspectives. However, in our attempt to formulate our judgments on the English and Arabic versions of the book, we can judge by an escapable logic and with analytical evidence that the English translation entitled « The writing of the disaster » has intensified the hold of a literal translation that makes the chances of being close to the original meaning of the source text depressingly small. Chentouf’s translation, on the other hand, remains profoundly meaningful; it is capable of going down into the marrow of  Blanchot’s thought to assert understanding of his intellectual complexities. In brief, despite the triviality of the advanced examples, we are certain that Azzedine Chentouf, through his Arabic translation, knows the hard philosophical portrait of Mourice Blanchot in its inclusiveness. Therefore, it is no surprise that every choice he makes in this translation explains his tremendous efforts as a philosopher first before being ranked as a translator.

scholarly journals Possible Worlds in Translation: Coleman Barks’s Rendition of a Story from Rumi’s Masnavi

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Medhat ◽  
Hossein Pirnajmuddin ◽  
Pyeaam Abbasi
Keyword(s):  
Internal Structure ◽  
English Translation ◽  
Possible Worlds ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Original Text ◽  
Main Character ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Narrative Worlds ◽  
The Way

This article applies the theory of possible worlds to the field of translation studies by examining the narrative worlds of original and translated texts. Specifically, Marie-Laure Ryan’s characterization of possible worlds provides an account of the internal structure of the textual universe and the progression of the plot. Based on this account, one of the stories from Rumi’s Masnavi is compared to Coleman Barks’s English translation. The possible worlds of the characters and the unfolding of the plots in both texts are examined to assess the degree of compatibility between the textual universes of the original and the translated texts and how significant this might be. It also examines how readers reconstruct the narrative worlds projected by the two texts. The analysis reveals some inconsistencies in the way the textual universes of the original and translated texts are furnished and in the way readers reconstruct the narrative worlds of the two texts. The inability of translation to fully render the main character results in some loss in terms of the pungency and pithiness of the original text. It is also shown that the source text presents a richer domain of the virtual in comparison, suggesting a higher degree of tellability in the textual universe of the Masnavi’s narrative.

scholarly journals Possessive Construction in Russian and Indonesian Noun Phrases: Contrastive Analysis and Translation

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Tri Yulianty Karyaningsih
Keyword(s):  
Word Order ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Translation Process ◽  
Possessive Constructions ◽  
Translation Analysis ◽  
Structural Differences ◽  
Descriptive Method ◽  
National Corpus

This paper aims to discuss the comparison between possessive constructions in Russian and Indonesian noun phrases. Since both of the languages have different grammatical systems, their possessive constructions may also be different. The differences are discussed using a contrastive analysis approach. However, the similarities between them are also taken into consideration following one of the practical purposes of contrastive analysis, namely, to aid the translation process. The theory employed in this research is eclectic. The research method employed in this research is descriptive method with contrastive analysis model. In addition, for translation analysis, word-for-word and literal methods are used here. The data in this research are collected from the Russian National Corpus and some selected literary works in Russian and Indonesian. The result suggests that there are some structural differences and similarities between Russian and Indonesian in terms of word order, attributive categories, and grammatical categories of the elements constituting noun phrases. The results of this comparison can be referred to in the translation of possessive construction of both languages so that the closest equivalent is found following the rules of each language. 

scholarly journals A Historical-Liturgical Critique of וזרקתי מים טהורים “I will sprinkle clean water” in Ezek 36.25-27 and Its Translation Options in English

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-18
Author(s):  
Olugbemiro O. Berekiah
Keyword(s):  
English Translation ◽  
Clean Water ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Technical Term ◽  
Source Language ◽  
Religious Context ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Rhetorical Force

The key themes of sanctification and regeneration in Ezek 36.25-27 make it an important and well-known passage among theologians and exegetes. However, the translation of מים טהורים in v. 25 as “clean water” in most English versions obscures the rhetorical force of the allusion to certain liturgical practices within the religious context of the source language. This paper considers the semantic connotations of מים טהורים by trying to understand the author’s rhetorical intentions. Historical-liturgical criticism is used to examine the religious context of the source text with a view to suggesting the most accurate English translation of this technical term which would convey its closest range of meanings to a contemporary English-speaking audience.

Traduire la culture poétique du français en anglais

Babel ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-353
Author(s):  
Tuesday Owoeye
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
English Translation ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Literary Field ◽  
Poetic Translation ◽  
French And English ◽  
Poetic Culture

That literary texts appear to be more difficult to translate than technical ones is no longer a subject of debate. This truth is fundamentally as a result of obvious challenges the literary translator has to face, since he is under the obligation to translate not only the literal meaning of his source text, but also its literary style. Even within the literary field of translation, if the translator of prose or drama rarely has an easy task, the translator of poetry is likely to meet harder obstacles in the course of his exercise. Poetry — especially when it has to do with traditional poems – appears, thus, the most dreaded terrain for the translator.<p>This article presents a comparative study of the poetic culture of French and English with the principal objective of demystifying the theoretical and practical problems associated with poetic translation. Supported by a critical analysis of an English translation of a French sonnet, the paper argues that the work of the poetic translator would be made more simplified if priority is given to the culture of the target language. The article thus recommends faithfulness to the poetic culture of the target language in order to produce a translation that will be acceptable to the reader of that language.<p>

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