Challenges and Strategies in Translated Children’s Literature

7/27/2019 Challenges and Strategies in Translated Childrens Literature

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Challenges and Strategies inTranslated Childrens Literature:

J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter and the

Sorcerers Stoneas a Case Study


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DEDICATION

To my parents.


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Acknowledgment

There is no task that is more delightful than thanking those who have participated in a way or

another to the accomplishment of this paper. I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to

my professor and supervisor, Dr. Ali AnoirEl Majdouli, for his kind assistance, his valuable

pieces of advice and his patience throughout the writing of this research paper. My gratitude goes

also to my parents for their care and love. And at last, but not least, I want to thank my two

roommates, Mehdi and Mohamed, for all the help and moral support they gave me and also for

the memorable moments we have spent together.

To all these people, thank you.

Anas Khalfaoui Hassani


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Table of Contents

DEDICATION..1

ACKNOWLEDGMENT.2

INTRODUCTION4

I-Review of literature7

1-Childrens literature.7

1.1-Defining childrens literature...7

1.2-Childrensliterature and translation7

2-Culture and ideologyin childrens literature...9

2.1-On culture9

2.2-On ideology10 II-Methodology....12

1-Data collection...12

2-Proceeding with the Data..12

3-Limitations of the study12

III-The challenges of translating childrens literature13

1-Cultural differences...13

2-Idealogical differences...16

3-The question of power...19

IV-The strategies of translating childrens literature..23

1-Domestication and foreignization..23

2-Omission and addition...26

3-The rendition of proper nouns28

V-Case study32

1-case study reviewed...32

2-Major findings of the analysis38

CONCLUSION40

BIBLIOGRAPHY...42

TRANSLATION PART.45

APPENDIX..77


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INTRODUCTION

This research paper investigates the translation of childrens literature together with its

potential obstacles and some of the strategies adopted by translators in order to render foreign

texts into Arabic and trespass the impediments which are particularly cultural and ideological

most of the time. Age and gender are important factors which should be taken into account when

transferring adults texts into ones for children. Moreover, this paper highlights the various

strategies translators resort to in order to bridge the gap between a totally foreignpiece of writing

to a target culture and avoid any possible cultural or ideological breakdowns. Such strategies are:

omission, addition and sometimes modification. For the purposes of this research, an Arabic

translation of J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone will be considered for

analysis. This research paper adopts a descriptive and analytical approach in the examination of

the data collected. Furthermore, an evaluation of the Arabic translation, mainly in terms of

mistranslations, strategies used by the translator and breakdowns caused by cultural and

ideological fault lines between Arab and western cultures will be provided during the analysis.

Finally, the study will conclude with the major findings of the case study.

1. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDYAfter having been exposed, myself, to childrens literature when I was a child, and due to

my infatuation with literature in general, I have decided to choose translated childrens literature

as a subject study for my academic research. It is widely acknowledged that childhood is a

significant phase in every human beings life given the fact that children get to shape their

character, identity, and acquire moral values. And because literature can be one way to instruct


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children and educate them in accordance with the dominant values and morals of their

country;translation becomes an indispensable tool for this purpose.

However, when looking into the translation of childrens texts, few articles and papers

researching this topic are found; the lack of literature is very astounding concerning material

discussing this issue in the Arab world. Throughout the stages of my research, I encountered

many difficulties; the scarcity of related literature is included. Almost nothing has been written

about the translated childrens literature in Arabic. Therefore, I relied wholly on references

written in English. Based on this research paper, and to the best of my knowledge, there are

onlythree MA theses dealing with the translation of childrens literature.The first one discusses

the topic in question in terms of strategies and motivations in childrens literature (Khwira,

2010), the second covers childrens literature and its translation(wohlgemuth,1998), and the third

sheds light on thetreatment of personal names in the Finnish and German translations of the

Three First Harry Potter Books (Makinen, 2010). Moreover, few articles and books dealing

directly with translated childrens literature were found, especially ones focusing on books

translated into Arabic or vice versa.Thus, I believe that conducting such a research can be a good

addition to the field of translation and specifically to the translation of childrens literature.

2. STRUCTURE OF THE STUDYRegarding the structure of this study, the first chapter is a review of literature of the main

topics involved in this research. An introduction toChildrens literature is introduced in which a

general overview of this discipline is provided in addition to a preliminary review of the

translation of childrens literature.The second chapter consists respectively of the methodology

used in conducting this research; data collection, proceeding with the data and limitations of the

study. Chapter three presents the major challengesmost translators encounter while embarkingon


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the transfer ofa given text into one targeting children. Chapter four revolves about the strategies

and techniques used to overpass potential difficulties and challenges. Finally, chapter five

includes the analysis ofa case studytogether with potential findings.


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CHAPTER I: REVIEW OF LITERATURE

1- CHILDRENS LITERATURE1.1- Defining childrens literature

According to the Britannica Online Encyclopedia, childrens literature is:The body of

written works and accompanying illustrations produced in order to entertain or instruct young

people. Thegenre encompasses a wide range of works, including acknowledged classics of

worldliterature,picture books and easy-to-read stories written exclusively for children, and fairy

tales, lullabies, fables,folk songs,and other primarily orally transmitted materials.1

This definition does not cover the major aspects of this discipline and provides a basic

definition for childrens literature. Similarly, Wikipedia does not seem to have a relatively

different definition and describeschildrens literature as:Children's literature (also called juvenile

literature) consists of the books, stories and poems which are enjoyed by or targeted primarily at children.

Modern children's literature is classified in different ways, including by genre or the intended age of the

reader.2

We can deduce form the above definitions that both of them seem to ignore some intrinsic sides

of childrens literature such as the cultural aspect, let alone its relation to translation, which is

going to be analyzed in the following section of this research.

1.2- Childrens literature and translationOnce we examine the field of childrens literature in relation to translation, we

immediately find out that it has been marginalized for a good deal of time. Xenie

(2007:2),mentions in her research, quoting from OConnel(2006), that Childrens literature has

1Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/111289/childrens-literature

2Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_literature
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1353736/genrehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/343579/literaturehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/212246/folk-songhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/212246/folk-songhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/343579/literaturehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1353736/genre


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long been the site of tremendous translation activity and so it has come as something of surprise to

me to discover recently the extent to which this area remains largely ignored by theorists, publishers

and academic institutions involved in translation research and training. We get to learn, at this stage

of the study, that the translation of childrens literature has known a long marginalization and has

been recently acknowledged as an important scientific domain.

Since the need for translation is basically cultural in that it stimulates and enhances

cultural dialogue between different cultures and promotes, in one way or another, tolerance and

mutual acceptance among people of different ethnicities, races and religions, the central role of

childrens literature in introducing children to new patterns and features of an alien culture which

they may not have been exposed to becomes essential. According to Khwira (2010: 28), who

quotes from (Shammas 2004: 106-7) translation is:

Importantin two main aspects: the human aspect related to theinteraction which goes beyond its target culture to reach other societies.

The social aspect is related to the absorption of a new coming culture

that enhances the native one.

We can notice from this quote that both the human and social roles of translation are of

paramount significance in childrens literature and constitute its backbone and objective. In

addition, it is essential to mention that translation occupies a significant position in the

framework of the target language, mainly the Arabic language, in terms of its culture and

literature. And if we consider this fact, the translation of childrens literature becomes one of the

most effective and didactic devices for teaching youngsters the morals and values that do not

contradict with what society deems appropriate for them.

Khwira maintains, in accordance with what Lathey (2006: 4) says, that translating for

children is quite different from translating for adults in two aspects: the social status of children


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and their development and the status of their literature which in turn characterizes whatever is

written for them. She strongly believes that the "unequal relationship" between the adult as a

writer and the child as a reader does govern the way of writing and even translating for children,

since adults dictate the child's behavior (ibid: 5).For her, the transportation ofchildren's literature

form one language and culture into another reflects distinct expectations and interpretations of

childhood (ibid: 2).

2- CULTURE AND IDEOLOGY IN CHILDRENS LITERATURE2.1- On cultu re

A number of researchers think that childrens literature canbe a means of cross-cultural

communication mainly because it is a way for both children and adults to communicate with one

another. According to Khwira (2010: 3), who quotes fromVandergift,children are introduced to

literature read by people of their age in other countries and become exposed to domains of other

lives and cultures through which they begin to understand and accept each other as being

uniqueand having different literary and cultural experiences.

Given the fact that any work of literature, be it targeting children or adults, is abundant

with culture specific items and is, most of the time, a representation and a mirror of a certain

culture, children of the target culture may not understand some cultural features of the source

culture. In this regard, Zohar Shavit (1981: 171-172) thinks that a translator can allow himself

complete authority regarding the peripheralnature of children's literature as long as they abide

by the following principles:

- Adjusting the text in order to make it more appropriate and useful to the child; in other terms, inaccordance with what society thinks is good for the child.


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- Adjusting plot, characterization and language to the childs level of comprehension and readingabilities.

According to Shavit (1981:172), these two principles dictate, to a certain degree, the

character and choice of the text to be translated. Furthermore, the first principle, which suggests

that children's literature is primarily didactic, was dominant for a long time. Nowadays, the other

concept,the one adjusting the text to the level of childrenscomprehension, is more dominant. A

case in point, the aforementioned principles may contradict each other but they always serve as

the basis for the selection and manipulation of the text to be translated.

The cultural aspect in childrens literature is so important due to the enormous influence

it can exert on children. Most children get to learn through what they read and this is enough

reason for translators to be careful in selecting the suitable books and stories in order to avoid

culture shock, or cultural alienation for the Arab child reader.

2.2-On ideologyAccording to Wikipedias definition, ideology is a set of conscious and

unconsciousideas that constitute one's goals,expectations, andactions. An ideology is a

comprehensive vision, a way of looking at things as in severalphilosophical tendencies, or a set

of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to all members of this society (a "received

consciousness" or product ofsocialization).3

In other words, ideologies are sets of thoughtsthat govern patterns of human behavior

within a given society. Similarly,every social, political or economic act becomes an expected

attitude to certain stimuli within a given community. It is actually how society conceives all that

is related to society in general.

3Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expectation_(epistemic)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_theory_(philosophy)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophicalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socializationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socializationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophicalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_theory_(philosophy)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expectation_(epistemic)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idea


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Almostno work of literature is free form ideological affiliation and sometimes

supervision. But such supervision and ideological restriction becomes more obvious in

totalitarian and fascist regimes. For instance, in the years when Spain went through successive

fascist governments, especially when General Franco was in power, translation was heavily

supervised, censored and even directed to maintain the actual state of things. All different forms

of art, literature and translation, were monitored by the military forces and the church through

special committees called juntas de censurawhose job was to perform all acts of supervision,

manipulation, censorship and deciding whether a work of art is good for readers or not.

Another important factor is the translators own ideology and background. A translators

ideology and attitudes may influence his/her decisions and choices. A case in point, sometimes

the translator finds himself/herself in a dilemma; s/he should either preserve the source texts

original ideology, or intervene and make some necessary changes to make it appear more

appropriate to the target audiences ideology. Similarly, Xeni (2007:20) quotes Hervey (1997:

60) who believes that a translators ideology may relate to a number of issues:

In developing a strategy for translating a given ST under givencircumstances, translators invariably face a major ideological choice: should

their primary task be to represent, as closely as possible, the ideology of theST, and (in so far as this can be determined) the ideology held by the author of

the ST? Or should the TT be substantially adapted to the ideological needs ofthe target culture, even at the cost of gross ideational distortion of the ST?

Similarly, should translators, as paid professionals, serve the (implicitly orexplicitly) prescribed ideology of the organization financing publication of aTT? Or should they insist on their intellectual and moral autonomy in matters

of ideology?

It is noticeable that there is a real dilemma in determining whether to abide by the ideology of the

author or adopt one that is in conformity and accordance with what the target text- represented by the

translator- dictates and thinks suitable and not dangerous for its target audience who are children in this

case.


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CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY

1. DATA COLLECTIONFor the purposes of this study, the famousbook of J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter and the

Sorcerers stone will be provided for analysis.As to the translation, I was lucky enough to

stumble on an electronic copy of the book, published by " " , an Egyptian publishinghouse as the name suggests. As to the remaining references, all of them are electronic articles

and M.A theses discussing the topic of childrens literature and its relation to translation.

2.

PROCEEDING WITH THE DATA

With regard to the linguistic combination,the study will be conducted to examine the

Arabic translation of the English source text. The study will be conducted based on an analytical

approach in order to detect both the majorchallenges and the techniques used to renderthis text.

Besides, in thisresearch paper, I will try to answer the following question: To what extent is the

Arabic translation faithful to the English source text? Some tentative explanations will be

provided, too.

3. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDYDuring the search for references on the translation of childrens literature, I was struck by

the unexpected small number of resources dealing with the translation of childrens literature,

few of which are Google Books. The majority of the available references are mainly articles and

studies conducted by researchers and experts in the field. Another impediment was the scarcity

of stories intended to be read by children and translated into Arabic, which made my search for

the adequate case study somewhat difficult.


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CHAPTER III: THE CHALLENGES OF

TRANSLATING CHILDRENS

LITERATURE

1. CULTURAL DIFFERENCESWhile this research is basically concerned withforeign childrens literature and its

rendering into Arabic, I think it is significant to mention that the translator, just as the writer of

the original text, findshimself/herself challenged by a range of constraints most of which are

fundamentally societal views on childhood, parental tastes and the demands of publishers who

care mostly about financial gain. It follows from this that the only books that can be translated

into Arabic are the oneswhich do not transgress social and sometimes religious taboos, andshare,

more or less,the same moral conventions; which is not always the case.

However, according to Khwira who quotes Lefevere (1992: 79)moral conventions vary

across cultures, hence; any transfer across cultures causes challenges. For Lefevere, translation is

a means by which foreign influences can challenge the native culture and may sometimes subvert

it.Therefore; the work of the translator would not be confined to merely rendering a language

X toa language Y; instead, the need to be thoroughly knowledgeable about the source and

target cultures for a translator is of paramount significance. In the same context, Khwira quotes

Olk (2002: 121) who points out that:

Translators who seek to create target texts which will be accepted in

the target culture need to identify culture specificity in the ST and to finda communicatively satisfactory mediating position for cultural

divergences. Viewed from this perspective, translation in its very essence

is a form of intercultural communication which draws heavily on the

translators intercultural competence.


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It can be deduced from the above quote that in order to perform its communicative

purpose, translation in general and the translation of childrens literature in particular should take

into consideration culture-specific items. Given the fact that cultural implications are

exceedingly substantial to rendering any source text, many theorists have embarked on the

definition of culture. In her article Culture Specific Items in Literary Translations, Zare-

Behtash (2010) quotes Larsen (1984: 431), who defines culture as a complex of beliefs, attitudes,

values, and rules which a group of people share.

As a matter of fact, the most difficult sides of translating literature in general are the

differences existing between cultures. These cultural differences include history, social

structures, traditional customs, and most importantly of all, religion. Mdallel thinks (2003: 300)

that Islamas a religion is a major theme in the Arab literature for children. The figures show that

1,457 publications (11.80%) of the 12,323 books published have explicit religious themes like

the Prophet Mohammeds life, tradition and deeds [] in the category of non-fiction, we find

other publications about Islam that teach Arab children how ideal Muslims should behave.It is

worthwhile mentioning that even historical stories are mostly about prominent characters from

the bright age of Islam, or leaders and war heroes like Khalid ibn al-Walid or Salah Dine al-

Ayoubi. (ibid: 301)

Mdallel (2003: 301) explains that this concern with celebrating the glorious Arab past,

heroic Arab figures and the moralizing tone impregnating most of the Arab childrens literature

is a reaction to the frustration in the Arab world due to the Middle East conflict and the marginal

role the Arabs play on the international scene. Though Mdallel does touch one side of the sad

reality describing the actual status quo of the Arab world, I think that there is no harm if most of

Arab childrensbooks of fiction relate the glories of the past because, after all, one should get to


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learn about ones past, ancestors and origins in order for ones identity to be complete and

immune to subversion.

Yet, there are those who lament this situation and think that children should have the

right to read for pleasure, too. Mdallel (2003: 301) quotes from Faiza Nawars article

Imagination in Childrens Fiction (published in Arabic, 2001) where the latter proclaims that

the lack of imagination in Childrens Arab literature is mainly due to the multiple taboos and

the traditional educational and religious concerns governing the process of writing for children in

the Arab world. In addition to moral stories, children need to get exposed to pieces of literature

which can stimulate their imagination and broaden it.

A case in point, Saudi Arabian children are not allowed to have the chance to read the

Arabic translated version of J.K Rowlings Harry Potter mainly because the books describe

acts of sorcery and witchcraft; deeds Islam does not tolerate, according to Saudi Arabian board

of literary censors. This is an example to illustrate that sometimes cultural specificities, religious

in this case, make it impossible for some works of literature to reach other audiences around the

world.

To conclude, it is true that literature is a major reflector of culture and an important

medium of facilitating intercultural understanding and mutual dialogue between people all over

the world, but when it comes to rendering childrens literature, namely between western and

Arabo-Muslim cultures, a number of factors and restraints are to be taken into account in order to

ensure the smooth and riskless transition of a given text targeting a special audience as children.


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2. IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCESDue to the general belief that childrens literature has a major part in molding the way

children will think and interact within their social environment, I assume it will serve the purpose

of this study to examine whether the assumption that foreign literature and western one in

particular can affect the values and morals of little children who, unlike adults, absorb whatever

they read and take it for granted, especially when we know how different and exotic Arabo-

Muslim and Western cultures are to each other.

In order to have a clear idea about what ideology really means, I think providing a

definition would be crucial. Merriams Webster online dictionary defines ideology asa

systematic body of concepts especially about human life, culture or manner, or the content of

thinking characteristic of an individual, group or culture, or the integrated assertions, theories

and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program.4

However, Khwira (2010: 28) happens to have another definition in her M.A thesis that

was provided by Hollindale (1992: 19-27) in which he explains that ideology is a systematic

scheme of ideas relating to politics or society or to a conduct of a class or group, and regarded as

justifying actions.Since literature reflects the set of ideological values adopted or enforced by a

group of people or society, which sometimes differ from one country to another, it should come

as no surprise the extent to which childrens literature can be impregnatedwith the kind of values

and social or even political guidelines each society wants to teach to its children.

It is definitely inevitable to talk about childrens literature without highlighting its

didactic role. In this respect, Mdallel (2003: 301) quotes Nikolajeva (1996: 3) who argues that

childrens literature has from the very beginning been related to pedagogics and that childrens

4Available at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ideology


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literature has always been regarded as a powerful means for educating children. Compared to

western countries where there is less inclination to use literature for educational and doctrinal

purposes, Arab countries still rely on it, together with school textbooks, to instill in the minds of

children the values of Good versus evil, embedded in fables, moral stories and fairy tales, as one

of the most prominent themes present in the majority of Arabo-Muslim literature.

In order to understand how the translation of childrens literature can be affected by

ideological and political trends, one has to go back to the socialist regime in the German

Democratic Republic5where literature was practically used, to a certain extent, as a key factor in

developing and raising socialist generations with no allegiance to individual, egotistic and

consumerist tendencies; traits that marked the capitalist ideology.In this regard, Wohlgemuth

(2003: 242) points out that literature played a key role within the socialist framework and was

widely used as a tool for education and indoctrination. Literary policy quite blatantly demanded

that literature be partisan, i.e. loyal to the party line. Childrens literature was assigned the same

role and therefore held the same status as literature written for adults.

As stated before, in a socialist regime like the GDRs, where literature had to be partisan

to the ruling elites interests, there were some rigid criteria that decided which to be translated

and which not. Therefore, In order to establish and maintain control over the book market in East

Germany, the literary and cultural authorities resorted to creating a powerful censorship system.

This means that all foreign literature, namely the western one, had to undergo a scrutinizing

process to see if there is some kind of ideological convergence between the two regimes. As a

result, Wohlgemuth (2003: 247) says that the GDR censorship committee insisted that publishers

and translators write more than one report, if necessary, to the censorship authority within the

5Informally known as East Germany; a State within theEastern Bloc during theCold War.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Blochttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Warhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Warhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bloc


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ministry of culture. He maintains that these reports had to describe the main reasons why a

particular book had been chosen to be introduced to children and the possible benefits they can

get from it.

On the other hand, Wohlgemuth (2003: 246) illustrates that all literature was ruled out

which dealt with anti-Semitic, antisocial and anti-humanistic issues or which did not portray a

clear and unquestionably progressive socialist image. And once dealing with western literature,

since this latter represents capitalist patterns of thought, Wohlgemuth (2003: 248) states that the

most frequently claimed justification for having selected the book for translation was to depict a

morally depraved capitalist west, inhuman, aggressive and drifting towards its unavoidable

decline. Seemingly, publishers and translators of childrens literature were compelled to

exercise some sort of self-censorship in order to avoid the rejection of their work and opted for,

by and large, selecting works that would be welcomed by the board of censors.

It would be beneficial to learn first-hand GRD censors reasons to decline the publication

of a certain book. Wohlgemuth (2003: 248) included in his article what the external expert6

thought of Winnie the Pooh:

Winnie the Pooh is exclusively about fantasy, happiness and child play.Certainly our children are not less imaginative in their play, but it

cannot be denied that the fantasy of our children moves in another

direction. Our time is not so much about a single child with his toys onhis own_ and if this does prevail in a child, it is not desired and does not

match with our didactic ideals. (DR1/5039a, 1959)

It goes beyond doubt that all ideologies, be it socialist, capitalist or Islamic, exerts

fundamental State control over both what is to be published and translated when it comes to

foreign literature targeting young children. This explains the prestigious and central position

6The author did not specify which kind of expert exactly, though it is quite clear that it is about an expert in

censorship.


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childrens literature occupies as a major key agent in boosting cultural, educational and social

awareness among youngsters; totalitarian regimes; however,tend to take more interest in it to

ensure the continuity of their ideologies and the cultural and social homogeneity of their subjects

mostly through exercising some sort of mind control over them.

3. THE QUESTION OF POWERIn the field of translation, thereare a number of factorsor agents acting and influencing

one another and the process of translation in general. These agents are: the publisher, the

translator, intermediary groups and children themselves. However, it is worthwhile to stress the

fact that the aforementioned parties involved in the whole translation process of childrens

literature do not share the same equal amount of power to decide on what is to be translated or

not.

In a capitalist economy, money is the most important instrument of all business

transactions and; hence, creates power. This does not apply to non-capitalist and socialist

economic systems where trade is State governed. At first glance, one would think that publishers,

being in a privileged financial position, have the final say in the decision making of the books

which can be translated, whether there is profit in publishing the books in question or not, and

choosing the translators who will do the work.

Wohlgemuth (1998: 113), on the interactive relationship of the different components

involved in the issue of power, believes that one of the manifestations of power is asymmetrical

relationships. He goes on to say that an example of this asymmetry is peripheral cultures

dependence on imported literature, in which the values of their own culture take second place to

those of the stronger source text[] another example of asymmetry is the relationship between

parents and children. Being weak and inexperienced, children depend on adults to explain the


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world and how it works; adults can and do exploit this dependency in order to perpetuate their

ideals and norms - in fact, to perpetuate their culture. In this perplexing asymmetrical and

interactive relationship that binds many components together, one finds it compelling to ask the

following question: which participant dominates the others? And why?

According to Wohlgemuth (1998: 114), those who appear to be more influential in the

process of translation are translators,since they get to choose what to be adapted in the target

culture text and what to remain intact. In fact, it is thanks to Skopos theory7 that modern

translators enjoy this current state of affairs where they have a margin of liberty to manipulate

the original text taking into account the needs of the target reader instead of being

bigotedlyfaithful to the source text; provided that the meaning does not get compromised.

Illusionary as it might seem, the role of translators is somewhat exaggerated. After all, translators

are mere paid professionals; and no matter what high or low their wages might be, it is who pays

them who has the last say.

Publishers of childrens literature, contrary to expected, are surrounded by a number of

constraints, too. According to Wohlgemuth (1998: 116) publishers operate according to the

strict demands of the economy. They select for translation books they believe can be sold for a

profit. In doing so, they must balance likely demand against estimated cost. Both demand and

costs are therefore factors which constraint the publishers choice. In the Arab countries, just

like the western sphere, the issue of demand in publishing translated literature is governed by

what adults (parents, relatives) deems appropriate and fit for their children to read. However,

this does not apply to teenagers who, at this point of their age, start buying books by themselves.

7Skopos theory is a concept from the field oftranslation studies that was established by the German linguistHans

Vermeer.It comprises the idea thattranslating andinterpreting should primarily take into account thefunction of

both thesource andtarget text.Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skopos_theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translation_studieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Vermeerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Vermeerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translatinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_%28language%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Source_texthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Target_text&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Target_text&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Target_text&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Source_texthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_%28language%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translatinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Vermeerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Vermeerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translation_studies


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It is clear now that, being limited by the constraint of demand, publishers are not totally in

control of this business.

Because parents want to raise their children the way it pleases them, literature intended

for youngsters becomes a powerful instrument for the purposes of this end. However, parents are

not the only group affecting the choices of childrens readings; governments exercise their

influence through libraries, schools and their own houses of publication to ensure the smooth

integration of children in society. Wohlgemuth (1998: 118) calls all these participants together

intermediary groupsgiven the nature of their function in the procedure of translation. It is true

that intermediary groups affect the demand on translated books, which eventually govern the

choice of publishers who decide which translators do the work; however, children, being the

target consumers of the whole industry, seem to have a say in the process, too.

Nowadays, being in a position of power more than ever before, children and teenagers

alike are both freer to buy the books they like. This is mainly because most children are given

more money than before by their parents who may sometimes prefer their children to develop a

sense of independence and free will. As a result, children often opt for pop literature as an

incredible source of entertainment. Wohlgemuth (1998: 120) explains that such a choice is

basically due to the fact that pop literature avoids explosive or controversial subjects and is

often vague, socially uncommitted and easy entertainment; It is hardly what most parents would

to choose to improve their children. However in possession of money, children have a powerful

tool in their hands; they have become an influential participant in the market.

In fact, the question of the distribution of power in childrens literature in general is

multi-faceted and the participants in it do not possess fair shares of power, nor does one


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prevailover the others. It is an interdependent situation where all agents involved have a specific

role to play.


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CHAPTER IV: THE STRATEGIES OF

TRANSLATING CHILDRENS

LITERATURE1. DOMESTICATION AND FOREIGNIZATION

Due to the general feeling among Arab scholars, writers, translators and publishers that

the values of the Islamic culture are being endangered by western thought and values through

childrens literature, the formers think it is their duty to keep future generations safe from such a

threat. In order to do so, andfor cultural and ideological reasons, foreign books, which are meant

to target young readers, may undergo a series of alterations, modifications and filter stages so as

to, either adapt the translated text to the dominant cultural and ideological norms in the target

audience, or preserve most of the culturally and linguistically marked features of the source text.

Such strategiescan be: domestication and foreignization.

To begin with, in order to formulate a comprehensive idea about how domestication and

foreignization work in the field of translation, it would be more practical to define each

separately. Being two completely different methods of translation, both domestication and

foreignization represent two extreme strategies.In his book The Translators Invisibility: A

History of Translation, Lawrence Venuti (1995: 5) defines foreignizing as the complete

opposite of domesticating texts: when a reader is taken to the foreign text, the translation

strategy in question is called foreignization, whereas when the text is accommodated to the

reader, it is domesticated. Bearing in mind this definition, it becomes clear how these two

techniques are distinct from each other, and thus one may wonder about the reasons why


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translators opt for one method and may reject the other, and whether it is possible to use both

strategies in a sensitive literary field as the translation of childrens literature.

As far as domestication is concerned, Makinen (2012: 19)quotes Ottinen (2004: 905) who

thinks that when adopting a domesticating method, translators assimilate the text to the target

cultures values both linguistically and culturally. The main reason for doing so is that the

advocators of such a method proclaim that translation should focus on transferring the meaning

above anything else. Similarly, Natalia Vid (2008: 2) states in her article that Translators who

are disposed to the domesticated method proclaim that the essential component of any literary

work is not its technical side, but something visible and often called the spirithas to be

successfully transferred into the target culture.

According toNikolaeva (1996: 27), mentioned in Vid (2008: 5), another reason that

makes translators choose domestication over foreignization is that, since childrens semiotic

experience does not allow them to interpret the signs of an alien semiosphere,a variety of

explanations, adaptations or direct changes may be necessary. Maintaining the same point,

Shavit (1986: 112-113) suggests that the translator of childrens literature may manipulate the

text in various ways. Such freedom is allowed as long as the translator is adjusting the text to

make it appropriate and comprehensible for children.Considering childrens ability to read and

comprehend, some translators may even choose to modify the plot, characters and language.

Therefore, the accuracy of the task performed by a translator of chi ldrens literature is

measured by how much it is relevant for the target audience. Ottinen (2003: 128) states that in

translating as in rewriting for target-language audiences, we always need to ask the crucial

question: for whom? Hence, while writing childrens books is writing for children,


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translatingchildrens literature is translating for children.Therefore,the interests of children as

target readership in this case, should be taken even more seriously than the interests of the adults.

To put it in a nutshell, vid (2008: 6) quotes Zena Sutherland (1981: 67) who firmly

believes that what may be a mild hazard for an adult can pose a serious barrier for a child. For

instance, names, titles, complex syntax, or allusions to cultural heritage or common knowledge

in foreign literature may be unfamiliar to members of recipient cultures. The translator of

childrens literature must keep this fact in mind in order to avoid creating an overly difficult

uninteresting translation which may alienate children from reading.Sutherland (1981: 69) agrees

that in the realm of childrens literature a new, domesticated and familiar text can be created

instead of a literary translation of the original text.(ibid: 2008:6)

However, domesticating childrens literature does not seem to be the perfect strategy for

some translators. Lawrence Venuti (1995: 18-22), as cited in Paloposki and Ottinen (1998: 374),

is one of the most prominent critics of domestication who attacked domestication as a site of

ethnocentric racism and violence and an ethnocentric reduction of the foreign text to target-

language cultural values (ibid: 20). As a matter of fact,though proved very practical in

translating foreign children stories, domestication received much criticism from the proponents

of foreignization.

For Venuti (1995: 291), quoted by Paloposki and Ottinen (1998: 374), foreignization is

more desirable than domestication in that the latter conforms to dominant cultural

values;whereas foreignization challenges the dominant aesthetics (ibid: 309). Secondly,

foreignized translations signal the linguistic and cultural differences of the foreign text (ibid:

311). And thirdly, foreignization seeks to restrain the ethnocentric, violent translation (ibid:

20). Based on the previous arguments which are in favor of foreignization, it can be deduced that


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the main purpose of translation is not to conform to the target culture rules and features but to

challenge them instead. To put it differently,Venutis preference for foreignization is not a

celebration of the foreign other itself, it is rather a strategic device to defy the image of the

other linguistically, culturally and aesthetically.

However, when it is about a very special audience as children, the question to use

foreignization in translated texts is open to debate. Ruokonen (2004: 78) claims that the

foreignness in the text should not surpass the readers ability; the text may become

incomprehensible and confusing. He continues, especially if the target readership consists of

children, the demands of a foreignizing text might be too hard for some readers.(ibid: 78) This

explains the reason why most translators of childrens literature happen to favor domestication

over foreignization.

Finally, bearing in mind the aforementioned arguments for and against both

domestication and foreignization, it seems that the latter is more desirable in the field of

translated children stories, especially in the Arab countries. Moreover, it should be noted that it is

not only up to the translator to decide which method to use; just like the distribution of power,

the choice involves many participants including publishers and sometimes censorship

committees.

2. OMISSION AND ADDITTIONBoth omission and addition are regarded to be typical deviations from the original text.

These two techniques prove necessary when adopting a domesticating or a foreignizing method_

addition is usually associated with foreignization_ in the translation of childrens literature.

OSullivan (2005), quoted in Cut Mansfields essay: Adaptation in Childrens


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LiteratureTranslation: a Narrative Theory Approach, argues that decisions about what to

include and exclude in childrens literature translation are based on two key factors : the

ideological aim of transmitting cultural norms and the translator or publishers beliefs about the

extent to which the child reader can understand foreignness. Seemingly, both cultural norms

and the target texts readability for children are the reasons which make a translator use either

omission or addition.

Backing up the idea of understandability, Khwira (2010: 20) argues that when a

translator sees that a specific part may be difficult for children to understand, they might change

or deletethis part to make it appropriate to the childrens cognitive abilities. She goes on to say

that this is why the three Arab translations of Daniel DefoesRobinson Crusoedelete the

opening dialogue between Crusoe and his father about the complicated ethos of bourgeoisie for

the sake of their target readers.(ibid: 20-21).

Another case where omission and addition become necessary is, according to

Shavit(2006: 128), cited in Khwira (2010: 20), when the model of the source text is not

available in the target system, translators modify it by omitting elements from the source text and

adding others from the target system to make this model fit in the target system, especially if

these omissions and additions do not affect the plot and the characterization of the text . To

make this argument even clearer, Khwira (2010: 21) gives an example of how a sentence in

RobinsonCrusoewas rendered into Arabic:

-No executioner in Germany could have done it sooner or better

. -


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It is clear now how the translator in this example made some changes in the Arabic translation in

order to make it fit into a model Arab readers are familiar with, even though the meaning was

somewhat altered.

In dealing with foreign literature intended for children, Arab translators are usually

confronted with certain themes which they omit and refuse to render in any other way. Such

themes may include racial attitudes, gender inequity, and magic as in the case of Harry Potter.

Khwira (2010: 22-23) explains that racial discrimination is the main reason why Khashafa and

the committee of translators omitted the story of Xury, a character inRobinson Crusoe, as it is

a clear depiction of racism and colonization in the book and these do not match the Arab

culture.

As to Addition, it should be stated that this technique, as it is usually associated with a

foreignizing strategy, is less used than omission. This is mainly because domestication happens

to be the most favored strategy for the Arab world, taking into account the several religious and

ideological constraints imposed on translation. Nevertheless, in a foreignized text, addition can

be applied through the use of footnotes in order to provide the readers with more details and

information about the alien element kept in the translation; otherwise, the translator may choose

to explain it using brackets.

3. THE RENDITION OF PROPER NOUNSThe translation of proper nouns in childrens literature is one of the problems any

translator has to face. According to Farghal and Shunnaq (1999: 61), as quoted by Khwira (2010:

54), proper nouns include names of specific people, places countries, months, days and

holidays. This definition, though not quite comprehensible, sheds light on the major

constituents of proper nouns to which we can add: a proper noun is one that begins with a capital


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letter. The question now is: when we learn that proper nouns and proper names specifically, are

the product of the local culture and not just mere linguistic elements void of any meaning, we

may wonder about the strategies translators use to render proper nouns in childrens literature.

Normally, proper names (names of people, surnames) are meant to be significantand

semantically loaded in the cultural context they are used in. this explains why writers are usually

inclined to give their fictive characters names with a semantic transparence, as mentioned in

Makinen (2010: 26), which serve the plot of the story. She goes on to add that to a degree

names were semantically transparent, often describing their referent somehow, for instance

profession (such as Smith, Potter in English, or Muller in German), or physical features (Crane,

Armstrong; Jung). (ibid: 26-27). Therefore, name creation in literature is by no means arbitrary

or random.

After having considered the central role characters names play in the world of fiction, it

is no wonder how important it is for proper names in children stories to have the same function.

This leads us to inquire about the ways proper nouns in general are rendered in literary texts

targeting young readers.

Given their delicate and sensitive position in any literary work, some translators may not

venture into translating proper nouns and keep them as they are. For Newmark (1981: 70-71), as

mentioned in Makinen (2010: 36), names in literature are usually left as they are. Since proper

nouns are fundamentally related to their cultural context, Van Coillie (2006: 131) backs up this

argument and says: the more important the context is to the book, the less self-evident it is to

change [them]. (ibid: 36). The strategy of leaving proper nouns as they are in translation is


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called transliteration8. In fact, this strategy was adopted in one of the Arabic translations of

Robinson Crusoewhere, as stated in Khwira (2010: 54), names are transliterated abiding by the

principle of foreignization.

Because translators take unlimited liberties in dealing with childrens literature on the

grounds of understandability, the childrens cognitive abilities andthe flow of the text, they may

choose to translate some proper nouns in case they have meaning. Klinberg (1986: 45), quoted in

Agulilera (2008: 6), recognizes that [descriptive names] with a contentor a meaning have to be

translated. He even assumes that a meaningful name plays a role within a story and not

translating it is suppressing part of the function it was created for. However, Khwira (2010: 54)

directs our attention to a very important point in an example where the three translators of

Robinson Crusoewere not successful when they transliterated all the names of characters in the

story and rendered only the name of the Indian savage Friday into "" , since it suggeststhat Friday has an Arab nationality. This means that all the humiliating behaviors of

kneeling and servitude [of Friday] come from an Arab (ibid: 54). After all, domesticating proper

names is not an easy task; translators are required to be more careful while rendering names with

religious or cultural connotations into the target text.

It is quite inevitable to discuss the issue of rendering proper nouns in children stories and

not to mention the unique case of Harry Potter. Aguilera (2008: 7) believes that the case of

Harry potterproves to be an interesting and phenomenal one in that: initiallywritten for the

British and American culture industry, the books were soon translated into more than forty seven

languages, and when inquired about the reason why several publishers in France turned the

series down at first, he said: the books to date contain more than one hundred proper names of

8Transliteration means transcribing, in this case proper nouns, into another language system on the level of

phonology, spelling, etc. E.g. Robinson Crusoe can be transliterated into Arabic as "


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people (and many place names), nearly all of which, in our opinion, should have been changed in

translation, since they are not really names, but comic spoofs on names made up out of English

words in the original.

In short, the translation of proper nouns in childrens literature can be a serious challenge

to most translators. Either opting for transliterating them or transferring their meaning to the

target culture text, certain aspects need to be taken into consideration in order not to compromise

the whole message, plot, events and mostly the characterization of the source text and hence

jeopardize the whole work.


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CHAPTER V: CASE STUDY

1. CASE STUDY REVIEWEDI have chosen, for the purpose of this research paper, to analyze and discuss the first five

chapters of the Arabic translation of J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter and the Philosophersstone.

This book, intended for young readers,is the first novel inthe Harry Potter series and was first

published on 26 June, 1997 byBloomsburys publishing house in London. However, in 1998,

Scholastic Corporationpublished an edition for the United Statesmarket under the title ofHarry

Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the version which is going to be the subject of this analysis. As

to the Arabic translation, except for being published by 9

" , it does not include anyinformation about the translator, nor the date of publication.

The reason why I have chosenthis book for my case study is due to its being a perfect

example of a literary text targeting children and adolescents alike, and due to the huge success

and positive criticism it received worldwide. Most reviews praised J.K. Rowlings work as an

original, folkloric and imaginative piece of literature; nonetheless, this did not spare it the harsh

attacks of some religious groups, be them Christian or Muslim, because of the acts of witchcraft

and sorcery exemplified in the book. These attacks were translated into action when the series

were banned in a few countries; Saudi Arabia is an example. Translated to more than sixty

languages, the series were rendered into Arabic, but was the rendition successful or not? This is

what we are going to see in the following analysis.

On the level of form, the translator rendered the title as "" whichmeans that the hefavored the British version of the title over the American one. To the best of my

9" isa publishing house which was founded in 1938. It publishes translations of international books for

children and was the first publishing house to ever translate the Harry Potter series. Adapted from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomsbury_Publishinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomsbury_Publishinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholastic_Corporationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholastic_Corporationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomsbury_Publishing


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knowledge, this was not a successful choice becausemost Arab children readers are not familiar

with what the Philosophers stone10

stands for. A clearer translation of the title would be "" . Though a literal translation of the American version, this title may be within

the grasp of young children. As to the arrangement of chapters, the translator maintained the

same order of the original book and assigned numbers to each one.

Concerning content, it should be said that proper nouns in Harry Potter and the

Sorcerers Stone, namely names of characters, can be divided into three categories: names of

Hogwarts students, names of Hogwarts professors and other staff members, and names of

wizards other than Hogwarts students or personnel. The total is 99 names. When compared to the

source text, we find out that the Arabic translation preserved the same number of characters

names, almost all of which were transliterated.Here is a list of some proper names as they occur

in the original text, their origin or meaning, and their transliteration into Arabic:

PROPER NAME ORIGIN OR MEANING TRANSLITERATION

Harry Medieval English form of Henry, a popularname for rulers and has Germanic originsHeinrichor home ruler.

11

Ronald Derived from the Old Norse Ragnvaldr, a

composite of reginadvice, counsel and valdrruler.

12

Hermione Of Greek origin. It can be associated with the

word ermine; a small animal in the Weasel

tribe.13

Draco Has Latin origins and means dragon; it could

also mean draconic, harsh and severe.14

10The Philosopher's Stoneis a man-made, blood-red stone with magical properties. It could be used to create the

Elixir of Life,which extends the drinker's lifespan, as well as transforms any metal into pure gold. Available at

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Philosopher%27s_Stone11

Makinen(2010: 76)12

(Ibid: 77)13

(Ibid: 78)14

(Ibid: 79)
http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Elixir_of_Lifehttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Elixir_of_Life


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Dumbledore An old English word for bumblebee: a large

hairy bee.15

McGonagall Rowling said that she named this character after

William McGonagall, a Scottish poet she just

loved16

Severus It comes directly from Latin Severus and

means severe.17

Proper names in Harry Potter and the sorcerers stone, or at least most of them, have

either English or Latin origins and sometimes have good or bad connotations given the nature, be

it good or evil, assigned to each character. However, the translator opted for the safest and

easiest way and decided to retain most of them as they are without manipulating or using their

semantic reference, with the exception of Sirius Blacks last name which was translated as

" . This could lead young Arab readers to associate Sirius Black, though a goodcharacter in the book, with evilness because of the unpleasant and negative connotations this

color represents for Arabs in general. I think, of all the semantically significant names in the

story, this one is the least to be translated; transliterating it is the right choice for me.

After analyzing the firstfive chapters ofHarry Potter and the Sorcerers stonein terms of

the strategies and techniques the translator used to render the terms, sentences and even passages

which may have been problematic to translate into Arabic, I have decided to draw the following

table to display the examples extracted from the book, their translations and some tentative

explanations and commentary.

15Makinen(2010: 79)

16(ibid: 80)

17(ibid:81)


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THE ORIGINAL TEXT THE TRANSLATION COMMENTARY

Because her sister and her

good-for-nothing husband

were as unDursleyish as it waspossible to be. p: 1

Omitted The translator may have

omitted this sentence because

s/he thought this wasunnecessary information and

rendering it would only make

the readers feel bored.

He supposed thiswas some

stupid new fashion. p: 2" .":4

The translator was not

completely faithful in

rendering this sentence andadded extra information that

does not occur in the original

text.

Clutching a large doughnut in

a gab. p: 3

Omitted Doughnuts are some sort of

cake that Arab readers are notfamiliar with. This could be a

culture-specific item exclusiveto Western countries.

However, it could have been

replaced by " or simply"" .

You-Know-Who has gone at

last. p: 3" .":6 You-Know-Who is anickname for lord Voldemort,

an evil character in the book.

The translator did not try to

render it at all.Muggles p: 3 "":6 I believe the translator should

have inserted some footnotesfor the target readers to better

understand what Muggles

really means.

Perhaps people have beencelebrating Bonfire Night

19

early. p: 4

"".:8

The translator did not indicate,using footnotes for example,

that it is about a national event

in Great Britain. The translator

opted for Domesticating it for

the sake of understandability.

18Muggles are the non-magical community according to wizards and witches. This special proper noun was

transliterated in almost all the languages into which the book was translated except in Arabic and French. French

translators preferred to translate it as Moldus. 19

Bonfire Night is an annual event dedicated tobonfires,fireworks and celebrations. In Great Britain, this modern

event is held on 5 November and no longer retains its sectarian significance: it is now simply a night of revelry and

fireworks. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire_Night
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireworkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireworkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire


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After all, they normally

pretended she did not have a

sister. p: 5

Omitted This information was already

introduced to the readers. This

could be the main reason why

it was omitted.

His nose was very long and

crooked as though it had beenbroken at least twice. p: 6

"." :10

This sentence was clearly

mistranslated.

A fine thing it would be if, on

the day You-Know-Who

seems to have disappeared atlast, the Muggles found out

about us all. p: 7

".:11.."Again, this sentence was

blatantly mistranslated.

Actually, it does not make anysense at all.

Would you care for a lemon

drop? [] A lemon drop.They are a kind of Muggle

sweet I am rather fond of.

p: 8

Omitted The translator may have

thought it would be moreappropriate if this sentence

was omitted because eating

sweets does not suit the wayDumbledore, a venerable

character, was introduced to

children as they are the targetreaders.

It is lucky it is dark. I have

not blushed so much since

Madam Pomfrey told me sheliked my new earmuffs. p: 8

"".:11 Seemingly, the translator didnot realize how much irony

there is in this sentence andmistranslated it eventually.

How in the name of Heaven

did Harry survive?p: 9

The text in bold was omitted.

"" :13The translator omitted that

part of the sentence for

cultural reasons. Translating itliterally would have sounded

odd for Arab, Muslim young

readers.

As she opened the door toput out the milk bottles.

20

p: 13

The text in bold was omitted. Omitted for cultural reasons.The milk delivery is very

specific to England.

I want you to look after the

bacon. p: 14"":19 For religious reasons, the

translator rendered bacon as" only.I wont blow up the house.

p: 17" The effect of the original

sentence was mitigated after

20"Milk bottles are bottles used for milk. They may be reusable glass bottles used mainly for doorstep delivery of

fresh milk by milkmen. Customers are expected to rinse the empty bottles and leave on the doorstep for collection."

Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_bottle


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.":22 being translated. Perhaps, thetranslator thought blowing up

the house by a kid is a bit

exaggerated.

You will be in that cupboard

from now until Christmas.p: 18

"".:23

Christmas was rendered as

mainly becausemost Arab young readers arenot yet aware ofthe

significance of Christmas for

Christians.

Aunt Petunia hammering

on the door to wake you up.

p: 20

"... ".:25 The translator added to the fact of waking up.This addition can be explained

as a religious specificity toMuslims who are expected to

wake up at this time for

prayer.Aunt Petunia had to run andget him a large brandy.

p: 22

"".:28 A large brandy was replacedby for religiousreasons.

Dudley had already brokenhis new video camera, crashed

his remote control airplane,

and, first time out on his

racing bike, knocked down oldMrs. Figg as she crossed

Private Drive on her

crutches.p:21

".":30

This whole paragraph wasreduced to a short sentence

where almost all of the items

mentioned in the original text

were omitted.

As he looked at Dudley in

his new

Knickerbockers21

p: 24

" "...:31 The translator domesticatedthe text in bold.

Ah, go boil your head ,

both of you! p: 39.""

:50The translator clearly

domesticated the text in bold

because translating it literallywould mean nothing to Arab

readers.

21Knickerbockersare a form of men's or boys' baggy-kneedtrousersparticularly popular in the early twentieth

century USA. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbockers_%28clothing%2922

An insult, roughly equivalent to get lost. it is mainly used in Britain. Available at:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=go%20boil%20your%20head
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trousershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trousers


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While Hagrid read his

newspaper, the DailyProphet. p: 49

" ".:59 Translating names ofnewspapers is considered amistake in translation.

Transliterating it is the rightchoice.

It was a tiny, grubby-lookingPub. p: 52 "". :62

The translator replaced pubby for purelyreligious reasons. A pub, a

place where alcohol is served,

cannot be rendered into a textin Arabic and especially for

Arab children readers.

And the bartender

reached for a glass sayingp: 53

".:63" The translator clearly triedhis/her best to avoid all that isrelated to pubs and alcohol in

general.

Passing an undergroundlake where huge stalactitesand stalagmitesgrew from the

ceiling and floor. p: 58

".":67

The translator opted forsimplifying what

stalactites, andstalagmites, mean instead of using thesetwo technical words which

most young readers would not

be able to understand or arenot familiar with.

2. MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE ANALYSISAfter going through the first five chapters of the book, it can be deduced form the above

analysis that the translator of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone relied on many techniques

and strategies in rendering most of the culture and religious specific items existing in the text. As

a matter of fact, omission was the translators most used device, which explains that s/he adopted

a domesticating strategy. As to addition, except for one example, the analyzed five chapters do

not include any added items or explanations to the target text. Moreover, throughout the analysis,

I could detect some mistranslations which were rather the result of misunderstanding the source

text. As a case in point, the translator was very careful in rendering some religious-specific items


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which s/he replaced or omitted in most cases. Concerning proper nouns, I believe that this book

proves to be one of the most difficult and challenging pieces of literature targeting children

because of the variety and semantic significance that distinguishes proper nouns in J.K.

Rowlings Harry Potter. However,the translator preferred transliterating most of the proper

nouns and clung to a foreignizing method.

All in all, we can say that the translator was quite successful in his endeavor to translate

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone into Arabic using mainly a domesticating method despite

making a few mistakes. After modifying the source text, the book became ready and safe for

children to read and enjoy it as well.


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CONCLUSIONThis research paper was a study of the translation of childrens literature in terms of some

challenges and strategies translators manipulate to render such texts accurately and

professionally. Throughout this study, we have noticed how different the nature of childrens

literature is compared to the adult one and how this fact influences its translation. In the first

part, we have gone through the main challenges which translators have to cope with: mostly

cultural and ideological. As to the selection of the appropriate material for children, we have

reached the conclusion that all the participants in this procedure share almost the same amount of

power in deciding what to translate or not and eventually depend on one another.

The second part does focus on some of the strategies used to better render culture-specific

items taking into account two different strategies. Most translators resort to either a

domesticating or a foreignizing method to render culture or religious specific items into the

target culture, Arabic in this case. To do this, translators may rely on two distinct techniques.

Omission and addition prove to be the two favorite tools for childrens literature translators.

Concerning the texts to be rendered into Arabic, most translators favor a domesticating method

over a foreignizing one given the childrens possible inability to decipher some cultural items in

the source text.

The last part was an analytical study of J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter and the Sorcerers

Stonewhich shed light on the major techniques the translator used to render a text into Arabic

despite some mild grumblings in some Arab countries that the book contains too much sorcery.

The results came to back up the main points and arguments discussed in the first and second part.


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This research was a modest endeavor to shed more light on a long marginalized discipline

in the field of translation studies. Hopefully, this work will be an addition to enrich the sphere of

childrens literature not only with a comparative piece of work but also with a reference work

that could be used for the purpose of consultation.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY Aguilera, E. C. (2008) The Translation of Proper Names in Childrens Literature.

Unpublished Article. University of Granada.

Khwira, Z. H. T. (2010) Strategies and Motivations in Translated Childrens Literature:Defoes Robinson Crusoeas a Case Study. Unpublished MA Thesis. An-Najah National

University.

Makinen, K. (2010) Harry Potter and the Challenges of Translation: Treatment ofPersonal Names in the Finnish and German Translations of the Three First Harry Potter

Books by J. K. Rowling. Unpublished MA Thesis. University of Jyvaskyla.

Mdallel, S. (2003) Translating Childrens Literature in the Arab World: The State of theArt.Meta: Translators Journal. 48(1-2): 298-306.

Paloposki, O. and Oittinen, R. (1998) The domesticated foreign. In A. Chesterman and N.G. San Salvador and Y. Gambier (eds.)Translation in Context.Granada: EST Congress:

373-390.

Shavit, Z. (1981) Translation of Childrens Literature asa Function of its Position in theLiterary Polysystem.Poetics Today. 2(4): 171-179.

Thomson-Wohlgemuth, G. (1998) Childrens Literature and its Translation: AnOverview. Unpublished MA Thesis. Surrey University.

Thomson-Wohlgemuth, G. (2003) Childrens Literature and Translation Under the East

German Regime.Meta: Translators Journal. 48(1-2): 241-249.

Venuti, L. (1995) The Translators Invisibility: A History of Translation (1st edition).London: Routledge.


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Vid,N. (2008) Domesticated Translation: the Case of Nabokovs Translation of AlicesAdventures in Wonderland. Nabokov Online Journal.2(1): 1-24.

Zare-Behtash, E. (2010) Culture-Specific Items in Literary Translation. Internet.http://www.bokorlang.com/journal/51culture.htm.04/05/2013.

Websites:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/111289/childrens-literature Accessed 03/04/2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_literature Accessed 04/04/2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology Accessed 08/04/2013 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ideology Accessed 12/04/2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skopos_theory Accessed 18/04/2013 http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Philosopher%27s_Stone Accessed 18/05/2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire_Night Accessed 24/05/2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_bottle Accessed 25/05/2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbockers_%28clothing%29 Accessed 25/05/2013 http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=go%20boil%20your%20head Accessed

26/05/2013

Case Study:

Download link for the Source text:

http://www.google.co.ma/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CC

wQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fce.sharif.edu%2F~safarnejad%2Ffiles%2Fbooks%2Fharry_pot

ter_and_the_sorcerers_stone.pdf&ei=QuCjUbTrG8OO7AaghYHoBQ&usg=AFQjCNFWJ402cx

cJUEAqdM4ZL05u6glFuw&sig2=7pH_w1ce09AqO-cgmi3sPQ&bvm=bv.47008514,d.bGE
http://www.bokorlang.com/journal/51culture.htmhttp://www.bokorlang.com/journal/51culture.htmhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/111289/childrens-literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideologyhttp://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ideologyhttp://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ideologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skopos_theoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skopos_theoryhttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Philosopher%27s_Stonehttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Philosopher%27s_Stonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire_Nighthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire_Nighthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_bottlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_bottlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbockers_%28clothing%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbockers_%28clothing%29http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=go%20boil%20your%20headhttp://www.google.co.ma/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fce.sharif.edu%2F~safarnejad%2Ffiles%2Fbooks%2Fharry_potter_and_the_sorcerers_stone.pdf&ei=QuCjUbTrG8OO7AaghYHoBQ&usg=AFQjCNFWJ402cxcJUEAqdM4ZL05u6glFuw&sig2=7pH_w1ce09AqO-cgmi3sPQ&bvm=bv.47008514,d.bGEhttp://www.google.co.ma/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fce.sharif.edu%2F~safarnejad%2Ffiles%2Fbooks%2Fharry_potter_and_the_sorcerers_stone.pdf&ei=QuCjUbTrG8OO7AaghYHoBQ&usg=AFQjCNFWJ402cxcJUEAqdM4ZL05u6glFuw&sig2=7pH_w1ce09AqO-cgmi3sPQ&bvm=bv.47008514,d.bGEhttp://www.google.co.ma/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fce.sharif.edu%2F~safarnejad%2Ffiles%2Fbooks%2Fharry_potter_and_the_sorcerers_stone.pdf&ei=QuCjUbTrG8OO7AaghYHoBQ&usg=AFQjCNFWJ402cxcJUEAqdM4ZL05u6glFuw&sig2=7pH_w1ce09AqO-cgmi3sPQ&bvm=bv.47008514,d.bGEhttp://www.google.co.ma/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fce.sharif.edu%2F~safarnejad%2Ffiles%2Fbooks%2Fharry_potter_and_the_sorcerers_stone.pdf&ei=QuCjUbTrG8OO7AaghYHoBQ&usg=AFQjCNFWJ402cxcJUEAqdM4ZL05u6glFuw&sig2=7pH_w1ce09AqO-cgmi3sPQ&bvm=bv.47008514,d.bGEhttp://www.google.co.ma/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fce.sharif.edu%2F~safarnejad%2Ffiles%2Fbooks%2Fharry_potter_and_the_sorcerers_stone.pdf&ei=QuCjUbTrG8OO7AaghYHoBQ&usg=AFQjCNFWJ402cxcJUEAqdM4ZL05u6glFuw&sig2=7pH_w1ce09AqO-cgmi3sPQ&bvm=bv.47008514,d.bGEhttp://www.google.co.ma/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fce.sharif.edu%2F~safarnejad%2Ffiles%2Fbooks%2Fharry_potter_and_the_sorcerers_stone.pdf&ei=QuCjUbTrG8OO7AaghYHoBQ&usg=AFQjCNFWJ402cxcJUEAqdM4ZL05u6glFuw&sig2=7pH_w1ce09AqO-cgmi3sPQ&bvm=bv.47008514,d.bGEhttp://www.google.co.ma/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fce.sharif.edu%2F~safarnejad%2Ffiles%2Fbooks%2Fharry_potter_and_the_sorcerers_stone.pdf&ei=QuCjUbTrG8OO7AaghYHoBQ&usg=AFQjCNFWJ402cxcJUEAqdM4ZL05u6glFuw&sig2=7pH_w1ce09AqO-cgmi3sPQ&bvm=bv.47008514,d.bGEhttp://www.google.co.ma/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fce.sharif.edu%2F~safarnejad%2Ffiles%2Fbooks%2Fharry_potter_and_the_sorcerers_stone.pdf&ei=QuCjUbTrG8OO7AaghYHoBQ&usg=AFQjCNFWJ402cxcJUEAqdM4ZL05u6glFuw&sig2=7pH_w1ce09AqO-cgmi3sPQ&bvm=bv.47008514,d.bGEhttp://www.google.co.ma/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fce.sharif.edu%2F~safarnejad%2Ffiles%2Fbooks%2Fharry_potter_and_the_sorcerers_stone.pdf&ei=QuCjUbTrG8OO7AaghYHoBQ&usg=AFQjCNFWJ402cxcJUEAqdM4ZL05u6glFuw&sig2=7pH_w1ce09AqO-cgmi3sPQ&bvm=bv.47008514,d.bGEhttp://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=go%20boil%20your%20headhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbockers_%28clothing%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_bottlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire_Nighthttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Philosopher%27s_Stonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skopos_theoryhttp://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ideologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_literaturehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/111289/childrens-literaturehttp://www.bokorlang.com/journal/51culture.htm


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Documents

Challenges and Strategies in Translated Children’s Literature