literature translation

“Literature in translation” is a reading that I have read that tends to explore the nature of English native speakers and their dreary attitude towards reading a translated piece of literature. Language in general is a form of communication amongst many nations worldwide and when taking a look at each language separately you could notice certain characteristics that make it standout than the other languages. As an example when taking a look at Arabic there are certain phrases when translated to English they don’t seem to make sense, there is a phrase in Arabic when literally translated to Arabic it translates to “on top of my head” which doesn’t seem right yet in Arabic it has a different meaning other than translated phrase mentioned. As this is a form of translation where the words are translated but the meaning isn’t. however, this doesn’t prevent form texts being translated and being interpreted in different languages it’s just that its more than translating word for word as there are multiple approaches to translation. 

When taking a look at English it could be noted that it is the most spoken language in the world and is considered to be an international language in which many educational systems incorporate it in their syllabuses. Hence when taking a look at the idea of translating literary work it could be viewed as a challenge and as a conflict as it might be the idea of interpreting the text n a different manner or not finding exact words to describe what’s actually happening leading to a loss in meaning and value of the literary work. Some might argue that due to English being an international language there seems to be lots of literary work written hence there doesn’t tend for translators to translate other literary works in different languages. As mentioned previously literary work written in a foreign language may include sayings or figurative language that can’t be translated or incorporated into English hence resulting in a difficulty in translating it or even knowing the meaning behind it. 

There are also some advantages of translating literary text such as knowing more about certain cultures as an example when reading the translated text, the thief and the dogs we had the opportunity to experience the Arabian culture which used to be previously known only to be about the Arabian desert along with genies and lamps.