Translation of Philosophical Terms: Strategies Used by Male and Female Translators

Subject Areas : All areas of language and translation

Mohammadreza Atashdast ¹ , Neda Fatehi Rad ²

1 - Department of English Language, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran
2 - Department of English Language, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran

Received: 2022-09-15 Accepted : 2023-01-28 Published : 2023-11-01

Keywords: gender, Translation strategies, Philosophical Terms,

Abstract :

This research sought to identify the translation strategies employed by male and female translators for the rendition of philosophical terms in two Persian translations of Explaining Post-modernism from Skepticism to Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault, based on Vinay and Darbelnet's model. To achieve this objective, a mixed-methods design was used. The corpus of the study consisted of 100 pages from the English book along with their Persian translations by Poursafir, Zohrabi, and Ehsani. The results obtained from the statistical analysis of the elicited data showed that Zohrabi and Ehsani have employed literal translation, translation by paraphrase, content transposition, form transposition, borrowing, and deletion strategies in translating philosophical terms into Persian. The most and the least frequent strategy applied by them were literal translation and deletion, respectively. The results also revealed that Poursafir has benefited from literal translation, translation by paraphrase, content transposition, form transposition, and borrowing strategies in his translation. The most and the least frequent strategy used by him were literal translation and borrowing, respectively. As for gender, while there were minor alterations between the frequencies of different strategies used by male and female translators, the differences were not significant. The findings of this study provide operational directions for future translators of philosophical works.

References:

Abbasi, A., & Koosha, M. (2016). Exploring expansion and reduction strategies in two English translations of Masnavi. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 7(2), 219 225.
Adler, M. J. (1967). The conditions of philoso-phy. New York: Dell.
Ahmadi, M. (2017). A contrastive analysis of idioms and idiomatic expressions in three English and Persian novels for translation purposes. Language Art, 2(4), 103-116.
Al Salmi, A.Z.Kh. (2018). Domestication and foreignization of culture-specific items about the English translation of Tayeb Salih’s Novel Mawsim Alhijrah 'villa Alshamal (Master Thesis). The University of Nizwa. College of Art and Sciences. Department of Foreign Languages, English Section.
Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., & Sorensen, C. (2010). Introduction to research in education (8th ed.). California: Thomson Wadsworth.
Babaee Dugulsara, F., & Sanaee, Sh. (2016). A study on the translation of simile in some of Hafiz's sonnets. International Journal of Language Learning and Ap-plied Linguistics World (IJLLALW), 13(3), 12-22.
Bahraman, M., & Erfaniyan Qonsuli, L. (2017). Metaphor and translation: A case study of the story of Zal and Simorq in the Shahnameh. App. Sci. Re-port, 17 (1), 8-11.
Bahremand, A. (2020). Translation strategies in English to Persian translation of chil-dren's literature based on Klingberg's model. Journal of Language and Trans-lation, 10(3), 145-155.
Baker, M. (1992). In other words: A coursebook on translation. London: Routledge.
Benabdallah, A. (2013). Teaching ESP through translation: A key for teaching specialized communication. English for Specific Purposes World, 13(37), 1-13.
Byrne, J. (2006). Technical translation: Usa-bility strategies for translating technical documentation. The Netherlands: Springer.
Biria, A., Heshmatifar, z. (2015). Exploring the translation strategies utilized for the rendition of economic terms from Eng-lish into Persian. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 2(8), 111-127.
Cabré, M, T. (2003). Theories of terminology: Their description, prescription, and ex-planation. Terminology, 9(2),163-199.
Daghoughi, Sh., & Hashemian, M. (2016). Analysis of culture-specific items and translation strategies applied in trans-lating Jalal Al-Ahmad's By the Pen. Re-trieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1095599.
De Camargo, D. (2004). Translation research on similarities and differences in tech-nical, journalistic and literary texts. São Paulo DELTA: Documentação de Estudos em Lingüística Teórica e Aplicada, 2(1), 23-35.
Dehbashi Sharif, F., & Yarmohamadi Khameneh, R. (2012). A model for translating poetry based on Lefevere's theory on poetry translation and Dastjerdi’s model. International Journal for Teachers of English, 5(4), 53-65.
Ebrahimi, Sh., & Lesan Toosi, F. (2013). An analysis of English translation of collo-cations in Sa’di’s Orchard: A compara-tive study. Theory and Practice in Lan-guage Studies, 3(1), 82-87.
Journal of language and translation, Volume 13, Number 4, 2023 165
Ednárová-Gibová, K., & Zákutná, S. (2018). Terminological equivalence in the trans-lation of philosophical texts. Russian Journal of Linguistics, 22(2), 423-435.
Ehsani, F., & Zohrabi, Kh. (2014). Assessing translation of advertising text (English-Persian) based on House's functional-pragmatic model of TQA. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 420-424.
Ezzati Vazifehkhah, A. (2017). Non-equivalence at the idiomatic and expressional level and the strategies to deal with: English transla-tion into Persian. International Journal of Comparative Literature & Translation Studies, 5 (4), 31-37.
Fahim, M., & Mazaheri, Z. (2013). A compar-ative study of translation strategies ap-plied in dealing with culture-specific items of romance novels before and af-ter the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Jour-nal of Advances in English Language Teaching, 1(3), 64-75.
Ghanoonparvar, M. R. (1988). By the pen. Texas: Middle East Monographs.
Ghazanfari Moghaddam, N., & Sharifi Moghaddam, A. (2012). The effect of translator's ideology on the transmission of cultural terms in The Joyous Celebra-tion of Jalal Ale Ahmad. International Journal of Applied Linguistics & Eng-lish Literature, 1 (2), 76-84.
Haghshenas, Z. & Vahid Dastjerdi, H. (2012). A cross-cultural study of animal sym-bolism in the Persian. Journal of Educa-tional and Social Research, 131-146. Hicks, R. C. S. (2004). Explaining Postmodern-ism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rous-seau to Foucault. Tempe, Ariz.: Scholarly.
Hutchinson, A., & Waters, J. (1987). English for specific purposes. Cambridge Uni-versity Press.
Karshenas, H., & Ordudari, M. (2016). Trans-lation procedures in the period: A case study on Newmark's translation. Re-trieved from www.eltsjournal.org/archive/value4%20issue2/8-4-2-16.pdf.
Kavaliauskienë, G., & Kaminskienë, L. (2007). Translation as a learning tool in English for specific purposes. KALBOTYRA, 57(3), 132-139.
Khedri, H., & Falahati Qadimi Fumani,M.R. (2016). Investigating the strategies used in the translation of soccer idiomatic expressions from English to Persian based on the model proposed by baker (1992). Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods (MJLTM), 7 (6), 135-142.
Klingberg, G. (1986). Children's fiction in the hands of the translators. Lund: Bloms Boktryckeri Ab.
Kolahi, Sh., & Emamian Shiraz, M. (2012). Application of Lefevere’s seven strate-gies in English translations of Sohrab Sepehri’s poems. International Journal of Linguistics, 4(4), 450-467.
Kielkiewicz, K. (2013). The postmodern terms–are postmodernity and postmod-ernism. Journal of Humanities and So-cial Sciences, 1(2), 49-60.
Krein-kutiile, M. (2003). Equivalence in scien-tific and technical translation; A text-in context-based study (Doctoral disserta-tion). University of Salford, Salford, UK.
Large, D. (2018). The translation of philo-sophical texts. London and New York: Routledge.
Leshkovich, A. (2016). Translation of humor in media from English Speech to Swe-dish subtitles: A pilot study of selected episodes in the Sitcom friends (BA the-sis). Goteborgs University.
Maharsi, I. (2007). Investigating translation strategies in the Indonesian translation of Sophie’s world: A novel about the history of philosophy. Journal of Eng-lish and Education, 1(2), 44-57.
Makinen, K. (2010). Harry Potter and the chal-lenges of translation: treatment of per-sonal names in the Finnish and German translations of the three first harry potter books by J. K. Rowling (Master thesis). University of Jyväskylä. Jyväskylä.
Mažeikienė, V. (2018). translation as a method in teaching esp: an inductive thematic analysis of literature. The Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Aca-demic Purposes, 6(3), 513-523.
166 Translation of Philosophical Terms: Strategies Used by Male …
McLaughlin, M., & Allen, M.B. (2002). From guided comprehension: A teaching model for grades 3–8. International Reading Association
Montgomery, S, L. (2000). Science in Transla-tion: Movements of knowledge through cultures and time. Retrieved from https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo3623837.html
Newmark, P. (1988). A textbook of translation. Hertfordshire: Prentice-Hall.
Newton-Bruzza, E.R. (2011). A culture marked: Racist epithets in Translations of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckle-berry Finn (Master thesis). Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Barcelona.
Nicholson, R. A. (2004). The Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi. Retrieved from HTTP:// drive.google.com/file/d/0B2GU1ZyPbqVlU3prMUMzM0s4b1k/edit?pli=1
Nida, E. (1964). Towards a science of trans-lating. Leiden: E.J. Brill.
Nida, E., & Taber, C.R. (2003). The theory and practice of translation. Leiden: E.J. Brill.
Nugroho, R.A., Nababa, M., & Subroto, E. (2016). Translation micro strategies used by visually impaired translators. International Journal of English Lin-guistics, 6(5), 103-124.
O’Donoghue, J. (2009). Is a metaphor (like) a simile? Differences in meaning, effect, and processing. Retrieved from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychlangsci/res.
Parks, G. (2017). The translation of philosophi-cal texts. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ed=2ahUKEwiCzdTggYzuAhVRQUEAHaFiBk8QFjABegQIAhAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.acuk%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F41171948.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0AFWhqbj9EwrDwORN12L_6.
Pierini, P. (2007). Simile in English: From description to translation. CÍRCULO de Lingüistica Aplicada a la Comunicación (clac), 29, 21-43.
Płońska, D. (2014). Strategies of translation. Psychology of Language and Communi-cation 18 ( 1 ) , 102-123.
Reholova, P. (2010). Cultural clashes in un-derstanding humor. Sitcom script in translation (BA thesis). Tomas Bata University in Zlin Faculty of Humani-ties. Retrieved from http://digilib.k.utb.cz/bitstream/handle/10563/12046/%C5%99eholov%C3%A1_2010_bp. pdf?sequence=1.
Ross, N. J. (2000). Interference and intervention: Using translation in the EFL classroom. Modern English Teacher, 9 (3), 61-66.
Rushwan, I.M.H. (2017). The role of transla-tion in developing ESP learners’ reading comprehension skills- A case study of medical students at Najran University-KSA. International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 6 (3), 243-253.
Saberi, D. (2015). Translators’ strategies for the translation of cultural markers from Eng-lish into Persian in a literary text (MA thesis). The University of Putra Malaysia. The School of Graduate Studies.
Sadeghi, B., & Farjad, A. (2014). Translation strategies of English idioms by EFL learners: Baker’s model in focus. Inter-national Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW), 6 (3), 247-259.
Schauffler, S. (2012). Investigating subtitling strategies for the translation of word-play in Wallace and Gromit: An audi-ence reception study (Ph.D. disserta-tion). Modern Languages Teaching Centre, School of Modern Languages and Linguistics.
Schjoldager, A. (2008). Understanding trans-lation. Academica, Aarhus.
Scholtes, E. (2016). Translating humor: A case study of the subtitling and dubbing of wordplay in animated Disney films (Master Thesis). Leiden University.
Shahbaiki, A., & Yousefi, M. (2013). A com-parative study of adjective-noun collo-cations from English into Persian in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Interna-tional Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW), 4 (3), 13-23.
Journal of language and translation, Volume 13, Number 4, 2023 167
Creative Commons License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-ShareAlike
International License
Shamsaeefard, M., Falahati Qadimi Fumani, M.R., & Nemati, R. (2013). Strategies for translation of similes in four differ-ent Persian translations of Hamlet. Lin-guistics and Literature Studies, 1(3), 164-168. Sharei, S., Yazdanmehr, E., Firooziyan Pour Esfahani, A. (2017). Translation of anthroponyms in children’s cartoons: A comparative analysis of English dia-logues and Persian subtitles. Journal of Language and Translation, 7(4), 21-31.
Shehab, Abood, A. (2018). Translation of culture-specific reference in Shakespeare’s hamlet into Arabic (Master thesis). The University of Anbar, College of Education for Hu-manities, Department of English.
Swanson, P.L., & Heisig, J.W. (2005). Reflec-tions on translating philosophical and religious texts. Revista de Estudos da Religião, 4, 115-136.
Varlan, C. (2010). Difficulties and constraints in translating philosophical texts. mechanisms of reception and the (in)stability of meaning. Retrieved from https:/?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact.
Veiga, M. J. (2009). The translation of audio-visual humor in just a few words. Diaz Cintas, Jorge (Ed.) New trends in audio-visual translation (pp. 158-175). Bristol, Buffalo, Toronto: Multilingual Matters.
Vinay, J.P., & Darbelnet, J. (1995). Comparative stylistics of French and English. A meth-odology for translation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Vinay, J.P., & Darbelnet, J. (2000). Stylistique comparée du français et de l’anglais, París: Didier: Georgetown University Press.
Wan Ramli, W.N.H. (2014). The translation of simile in the Hunger Games Novel: Translation strategies. E-proceedings of the Conference on Management and Muamalah. Whittlesey, H. (2012). A typology of deriva-tives: Translation, transposition, adapta-tion. Cultural Aspects, 16(2), 1-25.
Yazdani Moghadam, M., & Delarami Far, M. (2015). Translation of technical terms: A case of law terms. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 6(4), 830-835.
Yousefi, S. (2017). Translation of culturally specific items: A case study of Gulistan of Saadi. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 4(5), 62-75.
Zekavati, F., & Seddighi, A. (2012). Translat-ability and untranslatability of literary texts. Journal of American Science, 8(1), 26-31.
Zohdi, M., & Rostami Abou Saeedi, A.A. (2011). Translating metaphor and simile from Persian to English: A case study of Khayyam ‘s quatrains. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 1 (9), 1122-1138.
Whinfield, E.H. (2001). Masnavi I ma'niavi Teaching of Rumi. The spiritual cou-plets of Maulana Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi. Retrieved from HTTP:// www.omphaloSkepsis.com/Library/masnavi.pdf