Important Social, Cultural and Linguistic Problems in Translating Prose between Arabic and English

Abstract

The main problem in the process of translation is finding the suitable equivalence in the target language, and the fundamental task of translation theory is to define and determine the nature and conditions of translational equivalence.

According to Catford, the translation process fails or the translation is not accepted if the reconstruction of the main features of the source text into the contextual meaning in the target language becomes difficult. He distinguishes between two types of non-acceptability in translation - linguistic non-acceptability and cultural non-acceptability.

Translation goes beyond transferring words and sentences from one language to another; it is a profound process of exchanging cultures and civilizations, because translation acts as a bridge connecting cultures and civilizations. It is accurate to say that no culture can thrive or enrich itself without translation to and from it.

It is natural for translators to encounter many challenges in the translation process because linking two completely different entities becomes difficult, especially when these entities belong to different linguistic families, as is the case with Arabic and English. Additionally, the cultures of these languages are also vastly different, leading to cultural and social challenges.

Some scholars and critics argue that literature does not accept true translation, especially in the case of poetry. For instance, Savory argues that "the most important characteristic distinguishing poetry from prose is the impossibility of translating poetry."

Academic writer H. Lakshmi discusses the central issue in translating prose as the understanding and realization of units or chapters of the text. As for poetry, it is easier to break down or define words into shorter and smaller units to facilitate the translation process, making prose translation more challenging than poetry translation.

This research article will shed light on these aspects in some detail so that everyone can understand the challenges of translation between Arabic and English.