Texts in Translation

Considering the major international influence of literature on a global scale, translation is seen as a necessity in our world today. Major under-rated authors like Naguib Mafouz predominately drive the key purpose of transcending the ordinary  by crossing boundaries through cultural exchange. Primarily, Mahfouz' novel The Thief and the Dogs is known to have added value in literature as he transcends being a writer into becoming the conscience of a nation as the story is translated from Arabic to English. Though, to what extent should translation have boundaries?

Although translation has been rapidly increasing in demand due to the immense influence of diversity on a global scale, it is important to take into consideration the dangers that translated literature might lead to. As a result, understanding the historical, cultural and social contexts of particular texts becomes a core necessity before undergoing translation. This is because, some languages "such as Arabic and Urdu " (What makes a good translator, 2016) are known for being complex in alphabetical nature, ultimately leading to greater hardships of which translators forcefully have to deal with. This includes the long and overwhelming process of understanding the text perfectly in the given language then, having the capability of translating it into English. However, many translators have received backlash and controversial messages towards their translated work because many readings especially poetry are known for being too "culturally specific to translate" (What makes a good translator, 2016).  This leads to difficulty when translating as the purity and essence of certain cultural phrases looses its meaning. Bare in mind, most translators have the advantage of translating any foreign work with their own bias and opinion hence, preventing the reader's from understanding the true meaning's of the original and authentic work the author wanted across.


Clearly, this proves the notion that form, style and structure can not only be seen to influence meaning but can also be influenced by context. We know this because many translators allow their own contextual background to influence and divert from the authors actual intention, effectually leading to the downfall of translation. On the contrary, translated texts allows the audience to be exposed to the value systems of different authors as they are able to appreciate the authenticity of their work through an open-minded perspective. Considering the crux of the matter, a single language is acknowledged as a form of isolation meaning, translation breaks the boundaries of this isolation through cultural exchange. Specifically, translation can be acknowledged as a "frontier of language" of which is a metaphor for merging experiences and cultural values that could be isolated otherwise. From my understanding of the article titled "Why won't English speakers read translated books", the majority of English speakers that are monolingual do not take the initiative to read other foreign books. This means that having a major rise with translation has created a cultural paradigm shift that should be considered as a key to establishing cultural awareness. Although Western authors may struggle attempting to translate traditional novels of which "emerge from societies in extremis conditions", translation invites reader's to understand the context through various lenses by shifting the cultural perspectives of many societies. For example, an article title "Found in Translation" published by the New Yorker stresses the need of translation because of the majority of Western literature diverting the essence and concepts presented in Arab culture, ultimately through the focus on "fundamentalism, civic chaos and bombs" rather than the true social and political realm of the Arab world. 

All in all, I believe that translation is key to nations demanding acceptance and literation whom are not exposed to various authors outside their own region. Through this utopia, it is crucial to have proper translators that are capable of understanding both languages before translating literature. At the same time, cultural phrases should not be translated if it isn't possible as this would divert the true meaning of the authors authentic purpose undoubtely meaning that translation should have boundaries. Nevertheless, this should be accomplished for the sake of preventing a language from loosing its purity whilst, attempting to advocate the need for cultural awareness within the Western world. There is no doubt that the novel The Thief and the Dogs is an example of the great outcomes translation has on the Western audience. Mahfouz' effort of being able to raise cultural awareness through the fulfillment of acceptance and liberation is evident through the true portrayal of his protagonist however, this would not have been accomplished effectively without the thorough care of the literal English translation.