Investigating the Translation of Certain Features of Idiomaticity into English in Ahmed Mourad’s Novel Vertigo: A Cultural Approach

Document Type : Original papers

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Assistant Lecturer, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts, Damanhour University

Abstract

The present study tackles the problem of translating idiomaticity as a feature of style, from Arabic into English, in Ahmed Mourad’s novel Vertigo (2011/2014) in light of Warren’s classification of idiomaticity features within language (2005). The objective of the study is to analyze the translation of idioms and collocations as two distinct features of idiomaticity as suggested by Warren (2005). The study also draws heavily upon the classification of idioms proposed by Enani (2000, 2012) in order to identify the Arabic idioms in the source text. The study, thus, addresses a main question: to what extent is the usage of idioms and collocations as features of idiomaticity retained or distorted in the target text as compared with the source one? To answer this question, the study attempts to explore the various strategies adopted by the translator, Robin Moger, when handling those features. For identifying those strategies, the study draws heavily on Baker (1992). In addition to investigating the translator’s rendering of the source text idiomaticity features, the study examines his use of English idioms in the target text as translation of source text non-idioms. The findings of the study show cultural and idiomaticity losses in the target text with the strategy of paraphrasing being the mostly adopted strategy by the translator as far as idiomaticity features are concerned. The findings also indicate the translator’s opting for compensation in order to make up for some idioms lost in the target text.

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Transcultural Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 06 February 2023

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