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.

Douglas Todd: Reducing immigration to protect culture is racism at its finest

The following text is an opinion column that follows a structural composition of a Pastiche. The style  is inspired by the writer Douglas Todd as I contradict his opinion and standpoint on immigration within America. This pastiche is juxtaposed to the use of rhetoric and the racist style that Todd's unravels his ideas within. I chose to write through a contrasting style in order to address this issue through dynamic conventions of style that enable myself to express my opinion yet, follow his style. This is ironic because, although this is crafted through his style, I am still able to reinforce my values and beliefs that ultimately contradict his. I chose to identify this opinion column as it is a controversial topic that delves into the realm of politics, making this the most suitable text to base my pastiche on.

Link to Opinion Column by Douglas Todd

Douglas Todd: Reducing immigration to protect culture is racism at its finest:

White supremacy is seen as a product of white superiority, ultimately leading to the sub cautious discrimination of ethnic minority groups. These issues can combine to kindle great anger, hatred and division between groups. Scholars coined the term: “White hegemony” in order to address the rising issue of superiority that puts pressure towards inferior groups. This dominance can be traced back since the beginning of time. Slavery, World war and important agreements like the Sykes Picot agreement are all just several events that had lead to the apparent cultural division today. This creates a sense of patriotism, developing an allusion of dominance. With dominance, the White Man is able to implement this motif of Euro centralization that puts pressure on other colored groups. Groups coming from Latin are forced to reshape their thoughts and belief system for the sake of conforming to the dominant race. Whether these minority groups conform or not, the groups are still discriminated regardless of their political, social and economic standpoint. This is due to the development of division from the sub-cautious mind that creates this instant boundary. Such subliminal bias does not happen in one night, rather, it is a constant depiction of manipulative images that distort the way certain groups are marginalized or depicted.

By tackling this issue peacefully through diplomatic clauses, we will be able to use our first world power for the benefit of our nation, and the diversification of our economy. Unfortunately, there is a distinct correlation between issues like safety and crime with minority groups. This means that this led to the establishment of immigration laws that have been politically implemented by the Western government seems to raise tension.

A Vancouver-raised demographer has discovered that people of good will or any intellectual from across the globe would have an identical definition of Racism. The term is coined as: “Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that ones race is more superior.”  There agreement should lead to often a balancing perspective in order to flourish the coexistence of empowerment within ethnic minority groups, including: Mexicans and Colombians. Fascinating research by Prof. Eric Kaufmann of the University of London, Birkbeck, breaks new ground showing the harmonious ways people in 18 countries understand the hyper-charged term, racist.

With the federal Liberal government announcing they are attempting to show support towards these minority ethnical groups in order to increase immigration rates, they believe it is the “existence of both these cultures”, in order to sustain such a effective yet, diverse community. This would fulfill the needs and expectations of the West as a whole since this group would add value to not only increasing employment rate, but also GDP and literacy rates. Most of these minority groups have families to provide shelter and healthcare to, meaning addressing this issue is like addressing two birds with one stone. Ending discrimination will support our countries wealth and the minority group’s vast opportunities as well.

His research grew out of an article by Brookings Institutions Shadi Hamid, in which Hamid contend white “racial self-interest” as an effect on euro centralization due to the suppression put against minority groups. This should not be ignored, and should be considered as the key to our countries success and sustainability. Ladies and gentlemen, do not fear the shadows of the darkness that establish this ultimate ethnic division between on another. But rather, face it with all the courage you have. Alas, this bias must be worn-out in order to further end discriminations for the sake of weakening extreme white nationalism.

As Kaufmanns research sheds light on immigration values conflicts that are triggering the West, it is important to note the positive co-existence of all ethnicities that we should champion. By doing so, we will be able to strive to fulfill our socially politically motives like a freedom and equality. Kaufmanns findings also might illuminate how Westerners should approach immigration trends, such as those reveals last week in Census Canada, which portrays how whites should not be considered a minority in the metropolises of Toronto and Vancouver. For example just because another ethnic group is expanding, does not mean that the white population has declined.

In a nutshell, the Kaufmann believes that people are considered racist if they want less immigration for ethno cultural reasons.

HL Class: IOC of the poem Tulips by Sylvia Plath

IOC found here!

Practise IOC- Moons of Jupiter Passage #1

IOC found here!

This is Water Analysis

 In what ways could Wallace’s theory about education be applicable to the writing of Alice Munro? Justify your conclusion.

David Foster Wallace was known for being an American writer and university instructor. One of his most intellectually instigating and inspiring commencement speeches is commonly known as This is Water and was published in 2009. In this speech, Wallace aims to address the reality of education towards intellectuals specifically, seniors in order to provoke a thoughtful response about our own human nature.

 In the beginning of the speech,Wallace uses a parable as he depicts an image of two fish swimming in the water. When the old fish meets up with the young fish, one of them replies with: "What the hell is water?" To justify, the young fish are symbolic of the guileless youth as we are unaware of the striking reality and the "default-setting" that we are not cautiously aware of. Instead, he intensively expresses how adulthood will not discourage you to think out side the box, but rather conform to this realm of operating through your default-setting. We know this because, he further showcases the notion of a typical "day in day out" day in America, where most people go through the same struggles in life as they all face "boredom, routine and petty frustration.". This is apparent as he creates a realistic image of daily encounters at the supermarket that almost everyone endures after a tiresome working day where he's "worked really hard all day and is starved and tired and can't even get home to eat and unwind because of all these stupid god-damn people." Moreover, Wallace's blunt and frustrated tone establishes an aggravated mood in order to reinforce the importance of cautious decision making. 

There is no doubt that Wallace essentially champions the idea of being cautious about our surroundings, thoughts and actions due to the fact that we as humans, perceive freedom as: "being able to truly care about the people and to sacrifice for them, over and over again". This ultimately contradicts to what is seen as the default setting, in other words the "rat race" that is known as the endless, self-defeating and aimless pursuit of life we end up living. Obviously, most adults end up getting lost in their own bubble, completely brain washed by their own brain ,their default-setting. However, his whole purpose of delivering this speech is to address the sad reality of adulthood in order to convince seniors at Kenyon Collage to be cautious about their choices, specially when it comes to education.

This brings Wallace back to his opinion towards schooling, specifically, the importance of choosing the correct system. He continues to manifest the essence of our human nature coinciding with real education, which really has no correlation with intellect. Instead, it has to do with our awareness and cautiousness with our surroundings, but most importantly, being cautious of our inner thoughts and well-being. This can be further supported by an article published by the New York Times, titled: For Better Social Skills, Scientists Recommend a Little Chekhov. In this article, the writer Bellock addresses the importance of literary fiction that enables students to have a creative imagination of which stimulates better emotional intelligence. Of course scientists recently discovering the value of emotional intelligence in fields like medicine, law and engineer thus, encourage the preservation of literary fiction and are in a journey to encourage such books across all schools. 

Ultimately, Wallace's theory about education can be applicable to the writing of Alice Munro due to the fact that Munro also writes about human experiences. This means that her variety of short stories such as: Royal Beatings, Passion, Boys and Girls, Moons of Jupiter and Runaway all hold great value in regard to human relationships within literature as the readers are able to experience the characters lives as well. This is because her distinct style of writing where she writes about our own human nature enables readers to spiritually and emotionally associate their own personal lives with the experiences/conflicts of the characters. By doing so, Munro inevitably stimulates a chance for readers to acknowledge the value of literary fiction on an empathetic and emotionally intelligent level. This essentially allows them to apply such stimulating knowledge to the real world. To justify, this palpable social perception enables readers to reshape their own thoughts, values and ideas in the real world as they are now socially aware of their surroundings, shapes them to make cautious and well-rounded decisions.   All in all, the coexistence of such shared humanities of both literature and education re-invents the way we perceive certain circumstances. This is because both Munro and Wallace's ideologies  exchange with one another that undoubtedly, transcends between contexts, thus re-inventing the function of literature. 

The coexistence of art and language

Philosophically speaking, art is considered to be one of the oldest and most expressive languages to ever exist in history. Dating back to periods of time in Europe spanning from avant-garde, impressionism and fauvism, one can only comprehend so much. That’s what I thought too, until I visited the greatest, if not the best art gallery ever to exist. Located in the heart of Saadiyat is a place that every one should definitely consider visiting. As I first walked into the gallery, I felt serene, calm and in full tranquility with myself, right in front of the artworks placed on the high white washed walls. Ultimately, the first masterpiece that caught my attention is definitely one painted during the Renaissance Era. I guess it was the warm tones and hues of red that harmonizes with its juxtaposed colors, all balanced in a flare that would establish unity from within. No. No it was not that actually. It was the insignificant details of the painting, commonly known as the credits of the painting. I clearly remember it being said to enable viewers to experience an “instigate illusion”. To justify, the artist Frans Floris aims to enable viewers to experience an allusion. This is due to the use of mathematical and geometrical perspective, with a set of principles that’s supposed to give them that allusion. This was painted during the search and quest of illusionism through the help of Alhazen, an Arab mathematician during the 11^th century whom was one of the founding principles of European paintings. However, this exploration had been illustrated through the use of mathematical perspective that balances with our natural realm, comprising of human figures, pots and natural plants. This is only for the sake of finalizing the principles of illusionism whilst birthing a new artistic movement. Undoubtedly, this is commonly known as, or as I like to call it, “the coexistence of art and language”. 

With that being said, the development and improvement of artistic theories wouldn’t grow without it coexisting with another language, in this case, the language of math. To justify, the breadth and depth of a certain ideology is further intensified with the connection of another, ultimately harmonizing within one another to create coexistence. This brings me back to the short stories I’ve analyzed in detail, written by the one and only Alice Munro who shed the light on the theme of human relationships. Her basic purpose in almost every story is to demonstrate the ramifications of certain ideas (i.e.: love or fear) in order to provoke a thoughtful response about our own self-destructive human nature. Similarly, to the artist Floris, who aims to explore mathematical principles in order to enable viewers to sense an allusion. Although one is a writer and the other is a painter, both take similar pathways as they attempt to fulfill their aim through the coexistence of certain ideologies (1-Art and Math, 2- English and Psychology). All in all, one can unravel the power of a subject and language coexisting as it inevitably equips viewers/readers to have a well-rounded core that’ll re-shape their way of thinking.

Summer and its treasured memories

Completing grade 11 left me feeling not only astonished, but excited for what the future holds. As far as I remember, the last time I've visited my country Jordan with this much anticipation was probably when I was five... only because I was excited to celebrate my Eid holiday with my old friends. However, it was not the family reunions, sun glistening beaches and the mouth-watering meals that got me up at night this time. It was rather the ancient carved sandstone cliffs, Roman theatres and the old Museum’s found by the side of the Red port. As soon as I boarded the A380 plane, I began to realize how important it is to hold onto cultural values. Whether this is through visiting old museums, reminiscing childhood memories or even just re-educating yourself about the significance of certain landmarks. With the advantage of hindsight, I can admit that I had a bittersweet feeling towards going back, more of a sentiment of guilt. This was due to the notion of neglecting the essence of Jordan’s history since I never completely appreciated its antiquity. Although I knew I was going back, I still took this as an opportunity to reshape my historical and cultural knowledge, as I become a tourist in my own country (strangely).

The first site that I visited was by far one my favorites. It was located in the heart of downtown Amman, one of the busiest places to ever be in. I saw this as a chance to enjoy a musical show with friends whilst appreciating every corner of such a breathtaking theatre. The theatre was probably built around the 2nd century AD during the reign of Antoninus Pius (AD 138–61). This theatre comprises of three sections, known as the rulers, the military and of course the general public. But what caught my attention was the tiny shrine onto the seats that once housed a statue of the goddess. It almost reminded me of the architecture during the 1900’s; similar to when the novel Things Fall Apart by, Chinua Achebe was set in. All in all, I believe that I now acknowledge the feeling of relief and success, as Achebe once wrote: “A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness.”