Strategies Used To Tackle Cultural Gaps In Translation

Chapter III:  Strategies used to tackle cultural Gaps in Translation

3.1 Introductions

Language is one of the most prominent indicators of the culture that a people have. It is not merely a mode of communication that is used by different communities, but, rather, and expression of their beliefs and attitudes towards certain aspects in life. Different cultures have distinct languages because each is specifically woven into their way of life. There are many instances in which a phrase may be negatively depicted in another language or perceived to be out of the norm, mainly because it bears a negative reflection on the culture in place. Hence, it is imperative to have strategies in place to ensure that the language differences are accommodated for in the culture in place, such that all ways of life are respected. Guerra (2012) posits that language reflects attitudes, values, hierarchical relationships, and is a form of respect in many cultures. There are cultures that are quite strict and formal in nature, while others remain open and informal, which permits common phrases that would not be regarded in a negative manner.  For instance, in this case, the analysis looks at language as it reflects American and Arabic cultures in scope of the differences in the same. It will emerge that while most phrases in American culture can typically be made in a playful manner, the same is not the case in Arabic. Arabic culture is more confined to what language represents than it is the case with the American one, thus creating vast differences that need to be addressed in the course of translation. Because of the said differences, there is need for strategies that allow proper translation that is sensitive to both cultures as will be showcased below.

3.2 Translation strategies and procedures:

3.3. 1 Adaptation

There are several translation procedures and strategies that have been used overtime to ensure that language remains culturally acceptable across different communities. Such procedures have been reputably used in translation of important books like the Bible from one language to another and managed to ensure a certain measure of success when it comes to cultural representations. O'malley & Chamot (1990) present a number of procedures for translation that is cross-cultural in nature. One of such techniques is the aspect of adaptation. In this case, the scholars purport that adaptation is most suitable when a situation is strange to the culture in question, such that translators have to create another that reflects the same and translate it in a way that can be understood by the foreign culture. For instance, in the film, The Hobbit, the aspect of dining is fairly new to Arabic culture. In this case, dining in the American scope can be used to denote to the act of people coming together and sharing in a meal as though in a celebratory mood. To dine is a more prominent aspect to simply eating or having dinner, where it is accompanied by some form of celebration. However, the situation is foreign to Arabic culture since the situation can be merely regarded as eating a meal. Hence, the translators of the film adopted the situation eating and used the word eating together thus making it easier for viewers from the Arabic descent to relate to the situation in place.

3.32 Borrowing

Borrowing is used to denote to the act of taking a phrase straight from a particular culture’s language and incorporating it into another. In this case, the phrase or word is not translated and is instead used in its exact form. Ivir (1987) argues that the same takes place when there is no other option because the said phrase is not applicable in the language. The translator takes it and incorporates it into the latter to ensure that there is stylistic effect, or that the moment is not surpassed by language that does not express the impact of the same. In The Hobbit, there are instances when words and phrases are borrowed from English so that they have the same dramatic effect showcased in the film. For instance, when Thorin is healed while on the verge of death, the translators wanted the moment to stay the same and thus borrowed the phrase, “I would have doubted me too” (Insert Arabic) that is slang in American culture. The use of the same meant that the translators wanted to ensure that the impact of the moment was not lost in transition. They thus borrowed from the American phrase to facilitate the same. The film also borrows the word hobbit because the same is not available in Arabic. One would notice that throughout the film the Arabic translation of the word hobbit remains constant and does not change even though other words do. For instance, in the beginning, the following statement is made, “I am not the same hobbit I once was” in a letter to Frodo. The translation is similar in Arabic, where the word hobbit is borrowed from English and does not change in the subtitles. Another example that illustrates the same is the word phrase mid-summer’s eve. In Arabic, it is written as /midsummer'e /عشية

3.3.3 Compensation

As expected, the meaning behind a phrase could be lost when it is translated from one language to another. Hence, experts often compensate for this loss by adding some words to phrases so as to ensure that aspects like values or politeness in language are adhered to. For instance, the phrase, “over the hill” as showcased in the hobbit is very foreign to the Arabic language. Hence, Ordudari (2007) posits that a translator would typically want to write something that is close to the same so as not to distort the meaning that the same has in the context it was used. The word, “over,” therefore, was compensated with “up” such that the whole phrase read “up the hill” or فوق التل.The rationale in this case was to uphold the message that adventures still took place over the hill in reference to the character. Hence, whenever a word is lacking in the main language, the translator will compensate for the same by using a different word that does not change meaning or enables the audience to understand the meaning in the way in which it is intended.

3.3.4 Compression

Because of differences in language, translators may often compress phrases so as to get rid of any unnecessary wording that is not pertinent to the meaning in place. The compression is meant to ensure that the audience only concentrates on what is necessary for their understanding of the text and leave out redundant words that may add to the confusion without necessarily creating any value to the meaning. For instance, in the Hobbit, when Bilbo talks of 30 white horses on a red hill standing still, all of this is not translated in Arabic. The Arabic rendition of the same is “30 white horses standing on a red hill.” The word still in this case has been eliminated because it does not add to the meaning. “Still” in this case is only meant to ensure that there is emphasis on the fact that the horses are not doing anything but standing (Ivir, 1987). However, the Arabic translation only delivers the main point, thus letting the viewer know that the horses are standing because they would probably come to the conclusion that they are not making any movements. Moreover, in the same scene, Bilbo talks of “a box with a lead and no key yet treasure is hid inside.” The Arabic translation of the same eliminates the word “hid inside” because it does not add any value to the statement. The rationale is that readers would come to the conclusion that if a box has no key, then the treasure is inside and there is thus no need to reinstate the same. Compression is also referred to as omission by Ivir (1887) who opined that more often than not, translators emit words that may be deemed as offensive to a particular culture or unnecessary in the course of transition from one language to another.

3.3.5 Explicitation

According to Ordudari (2007), the term can also be used in place of amplification, which means that word are expanded from their original form. In this case, the translator adds more words to a phrase so that the audience is better placed to fully grasp its meaning. The amplification process is conducted in a very strategic manner to explain explicit phrases that may be misunderstood if they are presented in a different way. By introducing many details, the explicit or controversial nature of such a conversation will be overshadowed and the audience will have the opportunity of understanding it in a better way or not being offended by the same. For instance, in one of the love scenes, the narrator says, “If this is love then I do not want it.” However, the Arabic translation says, “If this is love I do not want it because it hurts so much.” Hence, the words are amplified so as to explain the situation more. Love is considered a beautiful thing across many cultures, and the audience needed to understand why someone would make such a confession. Hence, the words were amplified to make them richer with meaning and remove any controversies that may emanate from the said statements.