Séminaire TRAd
2024-2025
séminaire de recherche DIRE
Université de La Réunion
« Éthique et esthétique de l’erreur dans les pratiques de traduction »
lundi 16 septembre de 15h à 16h (Heure Paris)
salle 23 FLSH
Zoom ID 832 5562 8090 / code secret 149242
Conférence du Pr. Yasser Aman (Egypte)
Appropriation in Arabic-English Literary Translation: An Overview of Case Studies
Literary translation cannot strictly follow preset rules, nor can it fully satisfy the literary preferences of the target audience. Therefore, the appropriation approach, which emphasizes free or communicative translation while focusing on both content and form as much as possible, is particularly suited to literary translation, especially in poetry. I propose that there are three distinct ways to appropriate a source text into a target text. First, the translator may appropriate the meaning without maintaining the sentence structure. Second, the translator may appropriate both meaning and structure with slight deviations from the original intent. Third, the translator may preserve both meaning (content) and structure (form) as closely as possible. Regardless of the translation's quality, it will never fully align with the specific literary expectations of the target audience—a challenge rooted more in cultural differences than technical issues. However, translators should continually strive to appropriate the source text into the target text as effectively as possible.
In this presentation, I will address several key questions: What does appropriation mean in the context of literary translation? Can appropriation lead to or resolve ethical or aesthetic issues? Why do I advocate for appropriation? What are the options available to translators? I will then provide examples of appropriation, starting with proverbs and literary titles, followed by a detailed analysis of further examples from poetry and novels. Finally, I will offer concluding remarks that demonstrate why appropriation is well-suited to literary translation, as it minimizes ethical and aesthetic errors.