Tensions between didacticism, entertainment and translatorial practices: deletion and omission in the Arabic translations of Harry Potter

This study investigates the translation of the well-known Harry Potter fantasy series in the context of translation of children’s literature from English into Arabic; from 2002 this series was translated into Arabic by an Egyptian publishing company specialising in children’s literature. This area is still relatively unexplored in Arabic and in need of further research, given the great degree of difference between these two languages. The main foci of this study are the deletions, summarisations (actual textual or linguistic units that are deleted) and omissions (meaning or semantic load that is omitted) that occur in the Arabic translation of the series. A contrastive analysis is carried out between the ST and the TT in order to identify, examine and discuss trends in translation (deletions, summarisations and omissions). The study reveals that there are a great many deletions and omissions, particularly in the early books (1-4), and specifically in Book two. The study reveals that these trends are, in fact, strongly related and directly linked to norms, conventions and the level of professionalism of translation of children’s literature in the Arab world. This study also shows that didacticism is still one of the main features of translating children’s literature into Arabic. The study views translators’ interventions as part of systems and norms in order to situate the text in the receiving culture, thus creating an acceptable TT to an Arab child whose presumed cognitive ability is underestimated in the TT in comparison with the ST. However, these deletions and omissions certainly have an effect on the translations of the texts. Therefore, the aim of this research is to examine the impact and effect of these trends on the translation of the Harry Potter series as a whole.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

City, University of London

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Al-Daragi, A.

• P Language and Literature