Reassessing The Role Of Translation Strategies In Rendering Cultural References: A Critical Study Within Contemporary English-arabic Contexts
Keywords:
Translation Strategies, Cultural References, English-Arabic Translation, Cross-cultural CommunicationAbstract
This study critically investigates the effectiveness of translation strategies in rendering cultural references between English and Arabic. Drawing on Venuti’s domestication/foreignization model and Newmark’s procedures. The research analyzes student, professional, and published translations of over 150 samples. Using a mixed-methods design, the study incorporates translation tasks, questionnaires, and interviews to explore strategic choices and their impact on cross-cultural meaning transfer. Findings highlight a preference for balanced strategies, with notable variation across translator types and text domains. The study contributes to bridging theoretical insights with real-world translation practices.
References
Abdel Latif, M. (2021). Cultural adaptation in English-Arabic translation: Challenges and strategies. Journal of Translation Studies, 12(2), 45–62.
Al-Badawi, M. A., & Al-Ma’ni, N. M. (2022). Cultural translation and the challenges of rendering idioms from English into Arabic. Arab World English Journal, 13(2), 305–320.
Al-Hamad, D. A. (2024). A comparative study of Venuti’s domestication and foreignization in English-Arabic literary translation. Jordan Journal of Modern Languages and Literature, 16(1), 22–39.
Al-Hamad, R. (2023). Media translation in the Arab world. Translation & Interpreting Studies, 18(1), 88–105.
Al- Najjar, B. (2023). Strategies for translating cultural references in subtitled Arabic TV shows. International Journal of Arabic- English Studies, 24(2), 140–155.
Al-Qinai, J. (2020). Translating cultural references in Arabic news texts. Journal of Translation Studies, 12(2), 45–67.
Almanna, S. (2022). Flexible translation strategies in contemporary Arabic contexts. Middle Eastern Translation Review, 5(3), 77–94.
Baker, M. (2018). In other words: A coursebook on translation (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
El-Farahaty, A. (2023). Domestication and foreignisation in Arabic translation practice. Arab Journal of Language and Translation, 9(1), 15–30.
Farghal, M. (2022). The role of translator's cultural competence in rendering culture-specific items. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 18(3), 950–962.
House, J. (2016). Translation quality assessment: Past and present. Routledge.
Jayyusi, S. (2017). Cultural preservation in Arabic literary translation. Arab Studies Quarterly, 39(4), 301–318.
Kadhim, H., & Ahmed, R. (2023). The impact of sociocultural context on translation choices: A study on English-Arabic political discourse. Journal of Second Language &Cultural Studies, 5(2), 102–118.
Mahadi, T. S. T., & Subramaniam, V. (2023). Translating cultural references: A relevance-theoretic perspective. Translation & Interpreting Studies, 18(1), 74–91.
Mehrez, S. (2019). Translating the Arab world. Comparative Literature Studies, 56(3), 441–460.
Newmark, P. (1988). A textbook of translation. Prentice Hall.
Nord, C. (1997). Translating as a purposeful activity: Functionalist approaches explained. St. Jerome Publishing.
Tymoczko, M. (2007). Enlarging translation, empowering translators. St. Jerome Publishing. Venuti, L. (1995). The translator's invisibility: A history of translation. Routledge.
Venuti, L. (2013). Translation changes everything: Theory and practice. Routledge.
Yowell, F., & Al-Tai, S. (2021). Teaching translation of cultural concepts in Iraqi universities. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 17(2), 213–229.
