Article,
In search of translational norms: The case of shifts in lexical repetition in Arabic?
Babel: Revue internationale de la traduction/International Journal of Translation, (2006)
Abstract
AbstractThe paper is an attempt, guided by the principles of Descriptive Translation Studies, to ædetectÆ and ædescribeÆ the various types of shifts, in the area of lexical repetition, which have occurred in an ArabicûEnglish translation. The study also tries to æexplainÆ the underlying factors which may have prompted the various decision-making processes behind these translation shifts. It is postulated that any translation product represents an intertext which carries the æfinger-printsÆ of the norms of its SL and culture. Moreover, translation as a retextualizing process is bound to be directed by the norms of the TL and its culture. The two poles of SL æadequacyÆ norms and TL æacceptabilityÆ norms have thus been at the background during the description, taxonomy, and explanation of the various types of shifts in lexical repetition detected in the study corpus. Different instances of shifts have been found to fall under three main categories: (a) Shifts which avoid or minimize lexical repetition; (b) Shifts which announce repetition by retaining it, though with some modifications; and (c) Shifts which emphasize lexical repetition by expanding it. Most shifts, it has been found, belong to the first category. A lengthy discussion of the possible causes which could have motivated the translator to perform these various shifts has come to the conclusion that the textual and cultural norms of the TL seem to play the major role in the operation. In order to ascertain that the above conclusion is not attributable to the æhegemonyÆ of the TL (English), nor to the individual translator or to the type of text being analyzed, a number of follow-up studies is proposed at the end.RqsumqGuidq par les principes des qtudes de traduction descriptive, lÆarticle est une tentative de ½ dqtecter + et de ½ dqcrire + les diffqrents types de changements dans le domaine de la rqpqtition lexicale, qui se sont prqsentqes dans une traduction arabe-anglais. LÆqtude cherche qgalement a ½ expliquer + les facteurs sous-jacents qui peuvent avoir provoquq les diffqrents processus de prise de dqcision derriFre ces changements de la traduction. On pose comme principe que tout produit dÆune traduction reprqsente un intertexte, qui porte les ½empreintes digitales + des normes de sa langue-source et de sa culture. De plus, la traduction, en tant que processus de retextualisation, est nqcessairement guidq par les normes de la langue-cible et de sa culture. Par consqquent, les deux póles des normes ½ de justesse + de la langue-source et des normes dÆadmissibilitq + de la langue-cible se trouvaient a lÆarriFre-plan, pendant la description, la taxonomie et lÆexplication des diffqrents types de changements de la rqpqtition lexicale, dqtectqes dans le corpus de lÆqtude. On a remarquq que les diffqrents exemples de changements sÆinscrivaient dans trois catqgories principales : (a) les changements qui qvitent ou minimisent la rqpqtition lexicale ; (b) les changements qui annoncent une rqpqtition en la conservant ; et (c) les changements qui soulignent la rqpqtition lexicale en la dqveloppant. On a dqcouvert que la plupart des changements appartiennent a la premiFre catqgorie. Une longue discussion sur les causes possibles, qui peuvent avoir poussq le traducteur a effectuer ces divers changements, a abouti a la conclusion que les normes textuelles et culturelles de la langue-cible semblent jouer un róle majeur dans lÆopqration. Un certain nombre dÆqtudes complqmentaires sont proposqes, afin de vqrifier que la conclusion ci-dessus nÆest imputable ni a ½ lÆhqgqmonie + de la langue-cible (anglais), ni au traducteur individuel, ni au type de texte analysq.
