Arabic Version of The Da Vinci Code - Literature review Example

How should a translator deal with culture-specific terms (Cultural and Religious Words) With A Commentary of the Arabic Version of The Da Vinci Table of Contents: Introduction The importance of translation.. The roll of translators across history The strong relation between language-culture-translation Literature Review Definition of translation The limitation in previous definitions Faithfulness in translation Commentary on The Da Vinci Code, Arabic translation Conclusion Reference INTRODUCTION Translation has been the basis for the development of many nations, both in the classical era and in more recent times. Translators are thus the means through which knowledge can be transmitted. In the past, Arabs translated scientific and philosophical works from the Greeks. European subsequently translated those same works among others from the Arabic language. It has also been commonly argued that European Enlightenment and subsequent industrialization were brought forward significantly due to those translated works. Since translation can lessen the gap between cultures and lead people to better understanding, the translator should not be a merely bilingual speaker but must also have a bicultural vision. Culture plays a key role in good translation. Likewise, a good translation transmits language with simple terms and phrases that can be understood by simple folk in a way that the meaning is not lost or is almost similar with that of the source text. How do you say "the mother of God" if that is not clearly understood in the target language, like in the Muslim or Arab world Muslims understand Mary as the mother of the "prophet" Jesus but not as the mother of God. Culture specific terms have to be dealt with clearly, i.e. the actual message being conveyed by the source language must be the message and meaning that should be understood by the target language. Two cultures are involved in the process. Translation is still highly valued and is required for science, politics, diplomacy, education, literature and many other uses. Although translating for all the variety of purposes is subject to many rules with many books and theories written on methods, translating works of literature alone stands out as most problematic. As Hatim and Mason (1990, p.188) argue, the more culture bound a text is, the more scope there may be for modification. "Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written message and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or statement in another language" (Newmark, 1981, cited in Hariyanto, S.) Translating a sentence of the Da Vinci Code from English to Arabic requires a lot of skill and knowledge to be able to convey the real intention and meaning from the source text to target language. There are many considerations in this translation. Two cultures have to be properly understood in going into the meaning and message of the whole literature or book. Words are not translated literally but should be translated in such a way that they can be read between the lines, the way it should be understood by the Arab audience. Cultural elements within translation have been researched; authors such as Dickens, Harvey and Baker have discussed the techniques used in order to circumvent problems. They suggest four degrees of cultural transposition, from the extreme exoticism to the other extreme, cultural transplantation, with two intermediate degrees, cultural borrowing and communicative translation. Cultural transposition by Dickins et al. will, therefore, be the focus of this research. Research Questions: 1. What is translation 2. What is the relation between language and culture - translation and culture 3. What is faithfulness in translation And should the translator be faithful to the source text or target text 4. How should the translator deal with culture-specific terms in a text 5. Do the books I am going to examine meet the needs and expectations of their readers Literature Review Translation involves language, and language involves culture. Bell defines translation as "the expression in another language (or target language) of what has been expressed in another, source language, preserving semantic and stylistic equivalences. (Homeidi, 1987) In an article by Hariyanto, S. entitled "The Implication of Culture on Translation Theory and Practice," eight definitions were provided of translation, expounding that of Nida and Taber (1969) which says that "Translating consists of reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style." In this definition Nida and Taber interpret the phrase "closest natural equivalent". They take into consideration the culture and that the "equivalent sought after in every effort of translating is the one that is so close that the meaning/message can be transferred well." Following this concept is Nida's explanation of the "Lamb of God", a doctrine so popular and sacred in the Christian tradition. How do you translate "Lamb of God" to the Eskimo language In the Bible the lamb is depicted as symbol of innocence, and Jesus is a "sacrificial lamb" offered to God through his sacrifice and death in the cross. But the Eskimo culture does not know the lamb, and the "sacrificial lamb". Nida successfully translates the lamb as the "Seal of God", which is so appropriate. At least, it is the nearest because we can not use Jesus as the "seal of God," for he is the "Son of God" as what Christians believe. Homeidi (1987) also gives the distinction of translation and language. The nature of language explains in large part why translating is possible. The fact that all languages exhibit so many structural similarities guarantees the potential for effective interlingual communication Although to a considerable extent languages can be regarded as "rule governed", they are also "rule defying", or perhaps more accurately stated, they are "rule stretching" in that analogies within languages can always be pushed into unused, nearby areas. (Nida, 1994 as cited in Homeidi, 1987) Newmark maintains that translation problems caused by culture-specific words arise due to the fact that they are intrinsically and uniquely found to the culture concerned and, therefore, are related to the 'context of a cultural tradition' (Newmark, 1988, cited by Kaldait, V. & Asijaviit, V. (2005). Finally, Catford (1965, p.20) defines translation as "the replacement of textual material in one language by equivalent textual material in another language". The emphasis is therefore equivalence. Research Methods: After discussing the theoretical matters in detail, I shall, then, apply them by analyzing the Arabic version of the book The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown is a gifted writer, although there has to be a critical analysis of his work in the context of religion and the facts that were used as the basis for his fictional novel. Of course, when we say novel, it has to be fiction. The book has become a controversy among Christians, and the translation to another language should be done in such a way that the reader of the target language must have a thorough understanding of the facts, before reading the fiction. For the Arabic part, the researcher will examine the culture-specific terms in (the Da Vinci Code) with the aim of determining how well translated they are. In the Arabic translation of the Da Vinci Code, culture specific terms are common, and, sensitive, to say the least. Sensitive in the sense that these words and phrases need a lot of study - culture related definitions - to be able to give a right translation that is loyal to the original text. Furthermore, they are religious inferences with a lot of meaning and connotations. The Da Vinci Code is full of culture-related texts, phrases, situations and inferences, that it is not enough to translate a word or a phrase as it is. To do so is to damage the real meaning and intention of the author of the source text. The translator then can be accused of distorting the original message or making another story out of it. This is what is happening in the Arabic translation of The Da Vinci Code. One particular situation is about the Holy Grail. In the Christian tradition, the Holy Grail refers to the Cup by which Jesus raised in the Last Supper as that which contained his blood - "a blood of a new and everlasting covenant". This is very doctrinal, and to translate this into Arabic requires someone with a great knowledge of the Christian Bible and teachings. Culture here plays a great role. The two cultures should be in the mind of the translator, because we are dealing with Christian and Muslim audiences. Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code made it appear that Mary Magdalene is the Holy Grail. This is a legendary 'fact' and has been contained in myths and stories of King Arthur finding the Holy Grail. The secret of the code - according to the book - was that Mary Magdalene married Jesus, and she carried in her the descendant of Jesus, who is God, that's why the Holy Grail. In the Arabic translation, this can not be easily understood. It has to be explained clearly, the words should have been translated to mean that Jesus, as God planted his 'seed' on Mary Magdalene (and that is fiction, according to Christian teachings). That was supposed to be the intention of Dan Brown, the author of the book, who has mixed fact and fiction to produce and astounding bestseller. It had to be stressed in the translation that Dan Brown's book is a work of fiction mixed with some facts to make it appear a "true lie." Distorted fact becomes a lie. In the book, there are less facts and a lot of fiction to make it a good read, while one is relaxing or finding some time to sleep and be amused. Brown also makes reference in the book about "sacred feminine," i.e. that the Catholic Church (or persons representing the church) denigrates women treating them as accomplices of Satan. But where Christianity has been introduced, the status of women has been lifted. This is not the case of Arab women whose religion is majority Islam. Islam is still a man's religion. In this particular context, two cultures are again the topic or a controversial fact in the process of translation. The translation then does not meet the criteria for absolute or good translation. This book is full of religious terms and concepts which the translator did not exert any effort to clarify them for Arabic readers. It is also full of Egyptian terms, which even the Arabic reader sometimes can not understand unless aided by a native Egyptian. Furthermore, words - like eljoza, fetewa, meaallem - were not accurately translated to the English reader who has almost no knowledge about these social concepts. Words in the translation are not properly researched and do not give justice to the original message of the book. The language can not be said as correct and proper in a way that it can be easily understood by the target audience. Culture-specific terms and phrases that are sensitive because they connote religious meanings are not given equal representations to the target language, so that they give confusing vocabulary, hence different meaning. This Arabic version does not give justice to the source text and may create further controversy from the original controversies and problems arisen from the publication of the book. This leads us back to our Research Question: Should the translator be faithful to the source text or target text The answer is Yes to the source and target texts. A translator can never have a meaningful translation if he/she disregards the intention and message of the original text. The message of Dan Brown in his book The Da Vinci Code should be relayed faithfully, but it has to be made it clear or explained that Brown's message is a work of fiction and not a fact because it involves culture and religion. The same with the target audience - the Arab reader has his/her own culture, and the moment the message is relayed, a distinction between the two cultures should be implied in the translation. References: Bell, R. Translation and Translating. Cited in Homeidi, M.A. Arabic Translation Across Cultures (online). Available from: http://www.benjamins.com/jbp/series/Babel/50-1/art/0003a.pdf [Accessed 15th June 2007] Dickens, J., Harvey, S. and Higgins, I. (2002) Thinking Arabic Translation- A Course in Translation Method: Arabic to English. Rutledge, Oxon, UK Hatim and Mason (1997) The Translator as Communicator Kaldait, V. & Asijaviit, V. (2005), Translation of Lithuanian culture-specific Items into English (online). Available from: http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/getdocument.aspxlogid=5&id=669f2025-a827-4d3b-85d8-d15d1d00d9ce, [Accessed 14th June 2007] Newmark, P. 1993. Paragraph on Translation. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd., cited in Hariyanto, S. (2007) The Implication of Culture on Translation Theory and Practice (online). Available from: http://www.translationdirectory.com/article634.htm, [Accessed 15th June 2007] Nida, Eugene A., and Taber, Charles R.. 1982. The Theory and Practice of Translation. Leiden: E.J. Brill., cited in Hariyanto, S. (2007) The Implication of Culture on Translation Theory and Practice (online). Available from http://www.translationdirectory.com/article634.htm, [Accessed 15th June 2007] Robinson, Douglas (2003) Becoming a Translator, An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation. Rutledge, Oxon, UK Read More