Translation in Literature

As we begin the New Year, my Language and Literature class commenced in a new unit that involves the investigation of translated texts. The book that will be studied is titled “The Thief and the dogs,” by the ubiquitously known and award winning novelist Naguib Mahfouz. This text has been translated from Arabic, my mother tongue, to English. As I sit here reminiscing about the first unit in my Language and Literature course, I can recall the interrelationship between language and culture. Language has the power to unlock knowledge regarding history, culture, social structures and so forth. Hence, translated texts have the ability to transfer acquired information to other communities to allow them to indulge in the complexity of knowledge from another perspective and culture. This transgresses expectations as translated texts broaden target audiences to allow for the diffusion of information and a greater access to knowledge. This can impact readers in the way that they receive a new lens to view the world through. This opens our doors to different and new ideas to spark our own imagination and discover something eye-opening.

However, it is also important to consider the journey it takes to convert one language into another. As the translator Amara Lakhous said, “translation is a journey over a sea from one shore to the other.” This insinuates that the time and effort taken to translate is as exhausting as travelling. The shore symbolizes the meaning within the texts, which are similar, and the shore being in different locations symbolizes language, which is dissimilar. The job of a translator is to not translate the text word for word, but to translate the meaning in order to make the metaphors, words, ideas and images tangible to a reader of a foreign culture and language.

The art of translation is truly admirable, but if done inaccurately meaning can be lost and false information may be delivered. The reader will not be able to capture the essence of the culture, which may result in the formation of stereotypes and biases. Therefore, this art must be done with care and delicacy. An example of this is Feng Tang’s (best-selling Chinese author) misinterpreted and sexualized his translation of 'Stray Birds' by Tagore, which caused uproar and extreme criticism. This paints a picture of the author and the culture in a false manner, which may influences ones perception and ideologies.

This is related to the learning outcomes of Part 3 of the course because texts are written for a specific target audience, but this can be extended with the use of translation. This therefore unlocks new knowledge to create an intellectual, open-minded and innovative society.