Translation arabic -english - Dissertation Example

Module Module no: Translation for Children in the Arab World Literature is aptly d asthe reflection of life, and presents true picture of the developments being made within the social purview. Literature includes any text worthy to be taught to students by teachers of literature, when these texts are not being taught to students in other departments of a school or university (Hirsch, 1978:34). Multiple type of literature is available in the market, which is meant for grown ups, women, youth, elderly and the individuals belonging to various professions and occupations.

Since children are the most innocent stratum of society, and are considered to be the future builders of their nation as well, special care is given while producing literature for them for the adequate socialisation and brought up of the innocent minds. Although hundreds of thousands of books, journals and novelettes are available in the market, material of which is generally based upon local tales, fiction and moral stories, yet the parents and teachers look for inclusion of foreign literature in the studies meant for children, so that the young minds can obtain familiarity with the literature has been being produced at global scale.

It is important for children to be exposed to different cultures from a young age and to have their world knowledge broadened by stories and characters from all over the world. (Sas, 2010:2) Translated children’s literature is able to break down barriers of geography, language and race and that learning about other cultures is an enriching experience that opens up new horizons and stimulates new ideas”. (Hallford, 2005: 4) Since children are not in a position to study themselves the material written in a foreign language, the services of proficient and professional translators are hired to translate the foreign study material in simple and comprehensible native language.

Venuti (1995:1) contends that the illusory transparent effect created by a good translation conceals the hard work gone into it. Thus, the name of the writer and creator remains there for applause, while the services and efforts of the translator are neglected altogether. However, there appear to be several hurdles on the way to making a precise and an excellent translation. The most imperative problem that appears on the way is the use of appropriate language for children. Since children are not familiar with the art of one word substitution, the selection of extremely simple and easy vocabulary is vehemently required from the translator.

“A scholar of children literature is always asked to prove that he or she can wear the hat of a real scholar, if he or she really wished to be accepted by the scholars of real literary criticism.” (Shavit, 1994:5) In other words, the translator has to step down to the rank of small children in order to describe the viewpoint of the foreign writer in a concise but elegant manner. Somehow, it so happens that the exact transformation of one language into another is really a hard nut to crack.

And when it comes to the case with children literature, the translator has to apply extra skills by making hardest efforts in order to ensure that the children would be in a position to comprehend with the words being used in the translated material. Another great obstacle on the way to making translation for children is the exclusion of lustful, carnal and sexual themes and words from the real stories. Since the western world is far more tolerant in respect of producing romantic stories without taking the age of children into consideration, the translation procedure particularly becomes knotty and complex phenomenon for the translators converting the material into indigenous language for the conservative Arab societies.

Since the Arab societies are Muslim by faith, they vehemently condemn and censure the producing and translating of romantic, amorous, slang and immoral material particularly for children. The observing of veil is a popular tradition among the Arab ladies, and mixing of male and female members of society is a strict taboo. Consequently, the translators are discouraged to narrate love tales to the children by declaring it vulgar and offensive in the eyes of the Arab social fabric. Thus, they have to confine to very limited topics only, all of which must be based upon moral values, religious beliefs and ethics.

Even the fairy tales for children should also have some moral lesson in the end. Consequently, the translator is condemned for converting the so called profane western material into Arabic language. The job of translator is already an invisible and thankless one, and the criticism of the so called moralists applies more bars on the profession. (Leech, 2005) Another hurdle on the way to making translation for the Arab children includes the presence of the material based upon Christian, Jewish, Hindu and other rival faiths.

It is fact beyond suspicion that the Arabs do not allow the penetration of the non Islamic teachings in the minds of the children, as they are contrary to their own belief system; so the stories narrating the non-Islamic morality are also not acceptable for the Arab world. However, it does not mean that the Arabs are very narrow-sighted, narrow-minded and nagging community, and always make complains against petty matters and trivial things. Though partially it is true that the Arabs are not rude and impolite in their everyday dealings, and do not always try to criticise non-Arabs for the negligible mistakes even, yet they strictly adhere to their belief system and the circle of the purported idealism, which may confine the children to the religious and ethical reading material only.

Consequently, they consider their own culture as true one, and refuse to give vacuum to the sayings of the non-Arab philosophers and thinkers even lest these teachings may distract them from the right path of wisdom and glory at large. Works Cited Hirsch, E.D. Jr. “What isn’t literature”? Bloomington: Indiana University Press.1978 24-34. Hallford, D. “Introduction to Outside In, Children’s Books in Translation” by Hallford, D. and Zaghini, E. (eds.) Chicago: Millet Publishing: 2005 3-5.

Leech, Wendy. “The Translator’s Visibility: An Investigation into Public Perceptions of the Translator and How to Raise the Translator’s Status in Society.” Imperial College the University of London August 2005 Retrieved from http://isg.urv.es/library/papers/leech_translator_visibility.pdf Sas, Isabeau. “The Treacle Triplets: A Functional Approach to the Translation of Children’s Literature.” Stellenbosch University December 2010 Retrieved from http://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10019.

1/5344/sas_treacle_2010.pdf?sequence=2 Shavit, Z. Beyond the Restrictive Frameworks of the Past: Semiotics of Children’s Literature– A New Perspective for the Study of the Field’ in H-H. Ewers, G. Lehnert and E. O’Sullivan (eds) Kinderliteratur im Interkulturellen Prozess. Stuttgart and Weimar: Verlag J. 1994 3-15. Venuti, L “The Translator's Invisibility: A History of Translation.” Routledge, London 1995