People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Mentouri University-Constantine Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of Languages The Influence of Culture on Arabic/English/Arabic Translation of Idioms and Proverbs Case Study: Third Year Students Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master Degree in Applied Language Studies Submitted by: Supervised by: Meriem Bekkai Dr. Elkhiar Atamna Examined by: Dr. Youcef Beghoul 2009-2010 Acknowledgment I would like to express my sincere gratitude to a group of people who contributed to the accomplishment of this dissertation. My earnest thanks go to my supervisor, Dr. Elkhiar Atamna, whose guidance and back-up were the assets upon which this thesis was developed to reach its current status. I owe him a depth of gratitude for his encouragement and invaluable contribution to the research whether by his time, his pieces of advice, the documents he provided or by his help in matters of computer tips whenever I found a problem. I am also grateful to, Dr Youcef Beghoul, Dr Nacif Labed, Dr. Ahmed Sid and Mr. Yachir for their invaluable help and support, and their generosity in providing me with the documentation and valuable references. Many thanks also go to all my teachers for their help and their precious support. I must also show gratitude to my academic home, the University of Mentouri, and all the staff of the Department of English, for trying to provide good conditions for the pursuit of learning Above all, my parents who deserve the most appreciation for their boundless love and encouragement along with my grandmother, who never stops praying for my best. Without their support, the completion of my research would have been impossible i Abstract This research attempts to investigate the problems of translating culturally loaded idioms and proverbs. Cultural differences constitute areas of potential difficulties in Arabic/English/Arabic translation of such fixed expressions. These hindrances arise when one form of behaviour in one culture is virtually non-existent in another, or when the same cultural concept is conceived and interpreted differently by both cultures. This research also considers the degree to which idioms and proverbs‟ connotations maybe preserved in Arabic/English/Arabic translation, trying to make the students aware of the influence of culture on these fixed expressions and helping them to enhance their performance in the field of intercultural translation. The results obtained encourage translators (translation trainees) to use the cognitive interpretive approach which favors interpretation on the basis of the source culture norms when translating idioms and proverbs. The main aim is to produce versions that express the same significance of the source ones and that sound more or less natural in the target language. ii List of Abbreviations LMD: Licence Master Doctorat iii Table of Contents General Introduction………………………………………………………………………....1 Statement of the Problem……………………………………………………………………....1 Aims of the Study……………………………………………………………………………...1 Hypothesis .................................................................................................................................. 2 Research Questions .................................................................................................................... 2 Methodology............................................................................................................................... 2 Means of research ....................................................................................................................... 2 The choice of the Method ........................................................................................................ ...3 Population and Sampling....................................................................................................... .…3 Structure of the study.................................................................................................................. 3 Chapter One ………………………………………………………………………………….5 Part One……………………………………………………………………………………….5 Translation: An Overview……………………………………………………………………5 Introduction .............................................................................................................. …..............5 1.1.Definition of Translation…………………………………………………………………...5 1.2.Types of Translation .......................................................................................................... ...7 1.3. Definition of Culture…………………………………...…………………………….......11 1.4. Language and Culture........................................................................................................13 Part Two...................................................................................................................................16 Translation of Idioms and Proverbs ..................................................................................... 16 1.5.Idioms and Proverbs………………………………………………………………………16 1.5.1.Idioms………………………………………………………………………...…………16 1.5.2.Proverbs………………………………………………………………………………...17 iv 1.6. The Translation of Idioms and Proverbs………………………………………………18 1.7.Cultural Conceptualization of Idioms and Proverbs……………………………….….20 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...….29 Chapter Two……………………………………………………………………………...…30 Exploration of the Respondents’ Translation………………………..……………………30 2.1. Methodology……………… …………………………………………………………..30 2.1.1. Data Elicitation Technique.......................................................................................…..30 2.1.2.Analysis Procedure………………………………….…………………………………30 2.1.3. Participants……..………………………………………………………………………31 2.1.4. Data Analysis and Results….……………………...……………………………….… 31 2.1.4.1. Animals Bound Idioms and Proverbs………………………………………….…….32 2.1.4.1.1. The Swan Song ………………………………………………...………………32 2.1.4.1.2.دشل ِٓ ٜهحأ………………………..……………………………………………….....33 2.1.4.1.3. ًّدٌا كٔٛرعا ................................................................................................................. 34 2.1.4.2. Ecologically Bound Idioms and Proverbs ................................................................... 35 2.1.4.2.1. Tread on Thin Ice ..................................................................................................... 36 2.1.4.2.2. Keep Your Penny for a Rainy Day………………………………………………...36 2.1.4.3. Heroes Bound Idioms and Proverbs ............................................................................ 38 2.1.4.3.1. Achilles Heel ............................................................................................................ 38 2.1.4.3.2. Hobson‟s Choice ...................................................................................................... 38 2.1.4.3.3. Even Homer Sometimes Nods.................................................................................. 39 2.1.4.3.4. ُذاح ِٓ دٛخأ ................................................................................................................. 40 2.1.4.4. Specific Incidents and Stories Based Idioms and Proverbs......................................... 40 2.1.4.4.1. To Bury the Hatchet ................................................................................................. 41 v 2.1.4.4.2. The Pot Calling the Kettle Black ............................................................................. 41 2.1.4.4.3. حةلع ٓش كفاٚ….............................................................................................................41 2.1.4.5. Islamic Concepts (Islam) Based Proverbial Expressions ............................................ 42 2.1.4.5.1. ٗر١ت حعِٛص ُعٔ .............................................................................................................. 43 2.1.4.5.2. ٓ١ذشِ شحخ ِٓ ِٓإِ غذٍ٠ لا ............................................................................................. 44 2.1.4.6. Culture Bound Proverbial Expressions……………………………………………....45 2.1.4.6.1. ُّ١رٌا ًغت ءاٌّا شضح ْئ .................................................................................................. 45 2.1.4.6.2. ساخرعا ِٓ باخ اِ .......................................................................................................... 46 2.1.5. Synthesis of the Results .................................................................................................. 47 2.1.6. Findings and Discussion ................................................................................................. 50 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 51 General Conclusion and Recommandations……………………………………………….52 Bibliography Appendix vi General Introduction Statement of the Problem In fact, translation trainees always come across some perplexing problems and difficulties while carrying out their task due to the incompatibility between the source and the target languages. In this respect, idioms and proverbs represent a real challenge to translation trainees. What is generally noticed in the English Department of Mentouri University in Constantine is that third year LMD1 students‟ translations of idioms and proverbs show significant misunderstandings and sometimes total misinterpretations of the cultural messages because of the incorrect usage of words and the inappropriate use of cultural substitutions. In view of that, one may say that the students have weak translation performances with respect to idioms and proverbs. Consequently, it is frequently observed that there is something to be lost in the target versions; a point that is not transmitted to the target culture, a cultural gap that cannot be bridged by students. Therefore, this research sheds light on the cultural aspects of language as a source of difficulty, in order to raise the awareness of students towards the crucial role of a sufficient knowledge of the cultural patterns of the languages involved in translation (i.e. The source and the target languages) in the success of translating idioms and proverbs, aiming to achieve a native like control of language, whatever the location of this language is in the translation process. Aims of the Study The main objective of this research is to enlighten the students and increase their degree of awareness of many concepts that belong to English culture, since it is alien, to their own. More precisely, it intends to highlight the main reasons which hinder the process of translating idioms and proverbs by students. It also tries to suggest some techniques to 1 LMD stands for Licence (equivalent to a Bachelor‟s degree), Master‟s and doctorate degrees. 1 overcome such a difficulty and to produce versions that have the meanings of the source ones and are expressed in the natural from of the receptor language. Hypothesis As a major step in the present research, one main research hypothesis is put forward. It turns around the general idea that, the more Arab students of English are aware of and satisfactorily equipped with the English cultural background and pertinent translation techniques, the better and more appropriate their Arabic/English/Arabic translation of idioms and proverbs would be. Research Questions The present piece of research aims at addressing the following questions: 1. Why do students‟ translations of idioms and proverbs express nothing of native speakers‟ meaning? 2. Why aren‟t students able even to produce versions that are approximately similar in meaning to the source ones? 3. What are the causes of these deviations? 4. To what strategies do students resort when translating idioms and proverbs? 5. What can be done to enhance the students' ability to understand idioms and proverbs accurately and translate them appropriately? Methodology Means of Research In this work, one research tool will be employed to test the suggested hypothesis: A sample of English and Arabic idioms and proverbs for 3rd years LMD students of English to translate. It will help the researcher to highlight the main difficulties that affect the students‟ outcomes and hinder their translation process. It will be also good for checking their degree of awareness towards the influence of culture on the translation of idioms and proverbs. 2 The Choice of the Method The descriptive approach will be used in the present research. The descriptive approach is a way of exploring and describing real – life situations by providing the information of the elements as they occur. This method will help the researcher to identify problems in the current practice with a view to improve the students' outcomes. The respondents‟ responses will first be illustrated in the form of percentages and then will be analyzed and commented on by the researcher. Population and Sampling A random sample of twenty five third year LMD students at the English Department in Mentouri university of Constantine will be chosen. The main reason for this choice is due to the fact that these students have completed two years of translation training, and hence they already have some basic knowledge with respect to translation. Therefore, they are supposed to be the most suitable population to check their degree of awareness towards culture as a main factor in the success of idioms and proverbs translation. Structure of the Study This piece of research is divided into two main sections. A theoretical chapter which includes two parts about the review of related literature and an empirical section which includes one chapter. The first chapter deals with a synthesised theoretical background. Its first part incorporates an overview of translation and culture. It also expounds on their tight relationship. Its second part tries to give a clear picture of the significant influence of culture on the lexical choices of idioms and proverbs‟ components and its impact on the translation of such fixed expressions (i.e. the translation of idioms and proverbs). Chapter two deals with data analysis. It contains a detailed analysis of the students‟ translations). This section also discusses the problems encountered by third year students when translating idioms and proverbs, at the cultural level of linguistic description. Finally, it 3