Strategies Used in the Translation of Allusions in Naguib Mahfouz's "Drift on the Nile"

Article Information

Title: Strategies Used in the Translation of Allusions in Naguib Mahfouz's "Drift on the Nile"

Journal: Journal of Translation & Multilingualism (JTM)

HEC Recognition History

Category	From	To
Y	2024-10-01	2025-12-31

Publisher: Centre for Translation Studies & Multilingualism

Country: Pakistan

Year: 2024

Volume: 2

Issue: 1

Language: English

Keywords: translation strategiesallusion translationcultural bumpsMahfouz's "Adrift on the Nile"

Abstract

Understanding cultural concepts requires an understanding of social and cultural elements. This study focuses on allusions among cultural notions. For translators, the presence of allusions presents greater challenges than a text's syntactic or semantic difficulties. Allusion translation is considered a reader-centered procedure. A literary text usually presents the culture that produced it; that is why it is challenging to convey the source cultural background through translation. Literary texts represent a culture full of intertextual relations and references to other cultural or historical texts. A literary translator has some problems translating these ‘cultural bumps’ from one language into another. One of the main problems in literary translation that causes cultural gaps is the use of allusions. The researcher attempted to identify Ritva Leppihalme's model in her book Culture Bumps: An Empirical Approach to the Translation of Allusions (1997) to effectively convey subliminal meanings and communicate cultural and religious allusions. Some excerpts from Mahfouz's "Adrift on the Nile" and its English translation by Frances Liardet in 1993 are examined to explain the strategies used to overcome the cultural bumps. This novel was chosen due to its abundance of literary and religious references, historical figure names, native Egyptian proverbs, and modified sections from the Prophet's Hadith and the Holy Quran.

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Research Objective

To identify and evaluate the strategies used in translating allusions (proper nouns and key phrases) from Naguib Mahfouz's "Adrift on the Nile" from Arabic to English, and to assess how effectively these strategies convey the source text's accuracy, meaning, and cultural significance to the target reader.

Methodology

This study employs a comparative, descriptive, and qualitative research approach. It involves identifying allusion-containing passages in the Arabic source text ("Adrift on the Nile") and their English translated equivalents. Allusions are classified into proper nouns and key phrases based on Ritva Leppihalme's model. The study then compares the source and target text allusions to determine the translation strategies employed and analyzes their effectiveness.

Methodology Flowchart

                        graph TD
    A["Identify Allusions in Source Text"] --> B["Classify Allusions"];
    B --> C["Proper Nouns"];
    B --> D["Key Phrases"];
    C --> E["Analyze Translation Strategies for Proper Nouns"];
    D --> F["Analyze Translation Strategies for Key Phrases"];
    E --> G["Compare ST and TT Equivalents"];
    F --> G;
    G --> H["Evaluate Effectiveness of Strategies"];
    H --> I["Formulate Conclusions"];

Discussion

The study highlights that allusions are challenging "cultural bumps" in translation. The translator's choices in handling proper nouns and key phrases aim to convey meaning to the target reader, but the effectiveness varies. While some allusions are retained due to their cross-cultural familiarity (e.g., biblical figures, historical figures like Napoleon), others require more intervention. The success of conveying the deeper significance of Mahfouz's allusions is dependent on the translator's ability to bridge cultural differences through appropriate strategies.

Key Findings

The translator primarily uses the strategy of keeping proper nouns unchanged, assuming familiarity for the target audience, sometimes adding titles or full names for clarity. For key phrases, a mix of strategies is employed, including literal translation, rephrasing to match context, and adding explanations within or outside the text. Literal translation of proper nouns is generally easier than translating key phrases, which often requires additional explanatory notes to bridge cultural gaps.

Conclusion

Allusions are vital literary devices that carry significant cultural meaning. Translating them effectively is crucial for conveying the author's intended message. The study demonstrates that translators of "Adrift on the Nile" use a combination of strategies, with a tendency to translate proper nouns literally and employ more varied approaches for key phrases. The inherent difficulty in translating allusions means there's a risk of readers not understanding them, underscoring the translator's responsibility to facilitate comprehension.

Fact Check

1. Publication Date: The article was published in March 2024.
2. English Translation Date: Frances Liardet's English translation of "Adrift on the Nile" was published in 1993.
3. Leppihalme's Model: The study utilizes Ritva Leppihalme's model for allusion translation, presented in her 1997 book "Culture Bumps."

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Strategies Used in the Translation of Allusions in Naguib Mahfouz's &quot;Drift on the Nile&quot;