English translation: Examining the Arabic Translation of the Novel Symphony of the Dead by Abbas Maroufi Based on Newmark's Model (A Case Analysis of Metaphors)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Visiting Assistant ProfessorFarhangian University of Qom, Qom, Iran

2 Assistant Professor in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

3 Master's student of Arabic Language and Literature at the University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

10.22080/ltcat.2026.31408.1010

Abstract

The translation of literary texts, especially when intertwined with deep cultural components, is considered one of the most difficult and sensitive areas of translation studies. Drawing upon Peter Newmark's theoretical framework, this research examines how cultural elements (metaphors) are represented and rendered in the Arabic translation of Abbas Maroufi's novel Symphony of the Dead, translated by Ahmad Mousa. The findings of this descriptive-analytical study, conducted through a qualitative method based on the extraction and matching of linguistic data, indicate that "cultural equivalence" strategies—as the most frequently used and most effective strategy in Newmark's model—were the translator's primary priority in naturally conveying meaning and achieving a similar impact on the Arabic-speaking audience. In contrast, "literal translation" mainly led to failure in cases lacking cultural commonalities. In most instances, the translator succeeded in transferring the cultural and semantic burden of these elements with acceptable precision by selecting the appropriate strategy. The analyses identified three main challenges in the process of finding equivalents for these expressions: cultural gap as the primary obstacle, balancing faithfulness to the source text with naturalization in the target text, and the audience's lack of prior knowledge regarding the specific historical-cultural references of Iranian culture. This study suggests that the successful translation of cultural elements in a rich literary text such as Symphony of the Dead requires the active role of the translator as a "cultural mediator" who, through a deep understanding of both source and target contexts and the intelligent employment of combined strategies, overcomes the aforementioned challenges and ultimately preserves the work's authenticity and semantic coherence in its passage across linguistic borders.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics