This paper examines the paratexts of Muhammad Khair Al Biqā'ī's translations of French books ab... more This paper examines the paratexts of Muhammad Khair Al Biqā'ī's translations of French books about Saudi Arabia into Arabic as a socially-situated activity. Drawing on Bourdieu's theory of practice, it analyses Al Biqā'ī's paratextual zone, with particular focus given to prefaces as a site of self-promotion in terms of capital. The Syrian-born translator has recently acquired Saudi citizenship and national prizes of high symbolic capital due to his individual efforts in the field of translation. Al Biqā'ī stands out as one of the few eminent specialists from different fields who have been naturalised as a Saudi citizen by a royal decree in the first wave of such naturalisations in 2021, which offers a unique case for the study of the capitalisation of translation. It is argued here that Al Biqā'ī successfully capitalised the paratexts of his translation products, namely French books about Saudi Arabia, to show how Saudi he is even before acquiring Saudi citizenship. Through an analysis of Al Biqā'ī's paratextual elements (from 2001 to 2020), this study identifies and critically examines the mechanisms of capital through which the translator, then a Syrian national, attempted to promote and distinguish himself and his works. The findings illuminate how paratexts are used as a tool by translators to draw a certain image of themselves.
This paper examines the paratexts of Muhammad Khair Al Biqā'ī's translations of French books ab... more This paper examines the paratexts of Muhammad Khair Al Biqā'ī's translations of French books about Saudi Arabia into Arabic as a socially-situated activity. Drawing on Bourdieu's theory of practice, it analyses Al Biqā'ī's paratextual zone, with particular focus given to prefaces as a site of self-promotion in terms of capital. The Syrian-born translator has recently acquired Saudi citizenship and national prizes of high symbolic capital due to his individual efforts in the field of translation. Al Biqā'ī stands out as one of the few eminent specialists from different fields who have been naturalised as a Saudi citizen by a royal decree in the first wave of such naturalisations in 2021, which offers a unique case for the study of the capitalisation of translation. It is argued here that Al Biqā'ī successfully capitalised the paratexts of his translation products, namely French books about Saudi Arabia, to show how Saudi he is even before acquiring Saudi citizenship. Through an analysis of Al Biqā'ī's paratextual elements (from 2001 to 2020), this study identifies and critically examines the mechanisms of capital through which the translator, then a Syrian national, attempted to promote and distinguish himself and his works. The findings illuminate how paratexts are used as a tool by translators to draw a certain image of themselves.
Theory and practice in language studies, Jun 19, 2024
This study is designed to examine the effect that Netflix English subtitles might have on the way... more This study is designed to examine the effect that Netflix English subtitles might have on the way English-speaking viewers receive Saudi dark humour. To achieve this, the researchers analyse Netflix's English subtitling of two episodes of the Saudi adult animation Masameer County, which is known for its humorous discussion of sensitive issues in Saudi society. This study hypothesises that, partly due to sociocultural considerations, the humorous elements found in the Saudi animation is more appreciated and understood by Saudis than English speakers. It is also hypothesised that the inaccurate translation of specific humorous elements by the non-Saudi subtitler further aggravates the difficulty English-speaking audiences understanding the animation's dark humour. To assess these hypotheses, the active role of the subtitler is considered. This is achieved by employing the sociological lens of habitus developed by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. To understand the subtitler's habitus, the subtitler was interviewed to reveal the personal/social factors that affected her translation's decisions regarding specific humorous scenes. The outcome of these decisions is assessed by examining their reception by English-speaking viewers. A questionnaire was conducted with English-speaking viewers asked to watch the two episodes of Masameer County under examination. The questionnaire shows that the English-speaking viewers did not receive the Saudi humour with all its sociocultural associations. The findings reveal that the subtitler's habitus exerted powerful effects on her translational choices, which led to a loss of the Saudi humorous sense in the English-speaking viewers.
This paper explores the Saudis’ employment of translation to let their country speak for itself a... more This paper explores the Saudis’ employment of translation to let their country speak for itself and undermine the Orientalists’ ability to represent Saudi Arabia. The paper serves as an attempt to fill two gaps; presenting Saudi identity from a Saudi perspective and examining the Saudi translators’ agency. To fill these gaps, the following question is raised: what is the role of the Saudi translators when translating Orientalists’ accounts about Arabia to reconstruct the image of Saudi Arabia? The paper aims to examine the prevailing practices of Saudi translators of Orientalists’ writings about Arabia into Arabic. The paper adopts Bourdieu’s apparatus of doxa, and Genette’s conception of peritexts to analyze the practices of three Saudi academics/translators in Saudi History; namely, ‘Abd Allah Al ‘Askar, ‘Abd Allah Al-‘Uthaymīn, and ‘Uwaīdah Al Juhany. The argued misrepresentation of Saudi Arabia within Orientalists’ writings led Saudi academics/translators to adopt deconstruction...
This study is designed to examine the effect that Netflix English subtitles might have on the way... more This study is designed to examine the effect that Netflix English subtitles might have on the way English-speaking viewers receive Saudi dark humour. To achieve this, the researchers analyse Netflix's English subtitling of two episodes of the Saudi adult animation Masameer County, which is known for its humorous discussion of sensitive issues in Saudi society. This study hypothesises that, partly due to sociocultural considerations, the humorous elements found in the Saudi animation is more appreciated and understood by Saudis than English speakers. It is also hypothesised that the inaccurate translation of specific humorous elements by the non-Saudi subtitler further aggravates the difficulty English-speaking audiences understanding the animation's dark humour. To assess these hypotheses, the active role of the subtitler is considered. This is achieved by employing the sociological lens of habitus developed by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. To understand the subtitler's habitus, the subtitler was interviewed to reveal the personal/social factors that affected her translation's decisions regarding specific humorous scenes. The outcome of these decisions is assessed by examining their reception by English-speaking viewers. A questionnaire was conducted with English-speaking viewers asked to watch the two episodes of Masameer County under examination. The questionnaire shows that the English-speaking viewers did not receive the Saudi humour with all its sociocultural associations. The findings reveal that the subtitler's habitus exerted powerful effects on her translational choices, which led to a loss of the Saudi humorous sense in the English-speaking viewers.
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Papers by Dimah Alharthi