International journal of humanities and social sciences, Feb 29, 2016
Humour and culture are inseparable since humour is a mirror of the culture in which it is produce... more Humour and culture are inseparable since humour is a mirror of the culture in which it is produced. However, topics that provoke laughter are not specific to one culture. We are all human beings and we sometimes laugh at the same things, even though we may look at them from different perspectives. In other words, humour which is related to sex, marriage, politics, religion and stereotyping is common among many people from different cultures, but the way in which people compose their jokes is normally bound to their culture and their understanding of the world around them. This paper discusses the relationship between culture and humour and it sheds light on some common sources of humour in different cultures. The paper also presents a thorough discussion of the development of humour and its various types in the Arab world form Pre-Islamic era to the present. This discussion is needed since there is considerable shortage of research in the field of humour development, especially in the Arab world.
International journal of language and literary studies, Aug 10, 2023
Taboo and offensive language are main features of AV productions; they are used in movies, sitcom... more Taboo and offensive language are main features of AV productions; they are used in movies, sitcoms, and TV shows. The creation of taboos and offensive elements reflects the cultural, moral, and social values of the intended receivers who can comprehend and appreciate these elements. However, when taboo and bad language are transferred to another language and culture, the task of a translator becomes complicated, especially when working across very different languages and cultures, and within some spatio-temporal restrictions of subtitling.
The Use of Category Shifts in the Translation of Scientific Texts
Journal of Translation and Language Studies
The aim of this study is to provide an in-depth analysis of the utilization of category shifts in... more The aim of this study is to provide an in-depth analysis of the utilization of category shifts in the process of translating two scientific texts: The Science Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by John Farndon and Spaceflight: A Concise History by Michael J. Neufeld. The study addresses the following research questions: 1) What are the types of category shifts used by Arab translators to translate scientific texts into Arabic, and 2) To what extent do the translations convey the intended meaning of the source texts and bridge the linguistic gap between the two languages (English and Arabic). The research draws on Catford's (1965) classification of category shifts. It adopted a qualitative approach in analyzing each instance of shifts that corresponds to a particular type of category shifts. The findings of the study revealed that four types of category shifts were used by Arab translators to translate the scientific texts from English into Arabic. It was also found that the use of...
Subtitling humor is a challenging task for the translators. The complexity in translating humor l... more Subtitling humor is a challenging task for the translators. The complexity in translating humor lies in the fact that humor is bound to the culture it is produced in, and in some cases, it is attached to the syntactical and semantic aspects of the source language. One of the most frequently used type of humor is satire; this form of humor is common in political context. However, satire is also used in TV shows, especially situational comedies. This paper present a detailed analysis of the subtitling strategies used by the Arab subtitle to transfer satire in the American sitcom, Seinfeld, into Arabic. The study also uncovers the factors that might govern the subtitle’s decisions and choices. The study draws on the General Theory of Verbal Humor (GTVH); Attardo & Raskin 1991), Attardo’s (2002) model of analyzing and translating humor, and Pedersen’s (2005) model of subtitling extra-linguistic culture-bound references. The analysis reveals that the subtitle managed to transfer language...
International journal of humanities and social sciences, 2016
Humour and culture are inseparable since humour is a mirror of the culture and in which it is pro... more Humour and culture are inseparable since humour is a mirror of the culture and in which it is produced. However, topics that provoke laughter are not specific to one culture. We are all human beings and we sometimes laugh at the same things, even though we may look at them from different perspectives. In other words, humour which is related to sex, marriage, politics, religion and stereotyping is common among many people from different cultures, but the way in which people compose their jokes is normally bound to their culture and their understanding of the world around them. This paper discusses the relationship between culture and humour and it sheds light on some common sources of humour in different cultures. The paper also presents a thorough discussion of the development of humour and its various types in the Arab world form Pre-Islamic era to the present. This discussion is needed since there is considerable shortage of research in the field of humour development, especially ...
The present study investigates issues in the subtitling of humour in the American sitcom, Seinfel... more The present study investigates issues in the subtitling of humour in the American sitcom, Seinfeld. The study also identifies the subtitling strategies used by Arab translators to solve the technical, linguistic and cultural problems of translating humour in Seinfeld, and it uncovers the factors that might have affected the subtitlers’ decisions. The study draws on the General Theory of Verbal Humour (GTVH; Attardo & Raskin 1991, Attardo 1994, Attardo 2001, Attardo 2002) and Pedersen’s (2005) model of subtitling cultural references. Applying the GTVH and Pedersen’s (2005) model to the subtitling of humour between English and Arabic will test their reliability (i.e., the analysis of the data using these theories will reveal their strengths and weaknesses). The findings show that different types of humour were used in the selected data (eight types). These types were rendered into Arabic using a variety of strategies which were governed by a number of parameters, including cultural an...
International Journal of Language and Literary Studies
The study aims to explore similarities and difference between English versions and Arabic version... more The study aims to explore similarities and difference between English versions and Arabic versions/translations of the United Nations resolutions in relation to some standardized categories. It also investigates whether or not these similarities and differences are systematic. The study seeks to answer the following research questions: 1) What are the similarities and differences between English and Arabic versions/translations of the UN resolutions in relation to format and style and 2) Do these similarities and differences seem random or systematic. The research draws on the UN editorial Manual 1983 which include the basic guidelines of writing/translating the UN documents, including UN resolutions. The research used a qualitative approach which involves comparing and contrasting different English versions and Arabic versions/translations of the UN resolutions using a comparative model. The findings of the study showed that English versions and Arabic versions/translations shared ...
The current study aims to explore the types of transposition techniques used by Arab translators ... more The current study aims to explore the types of transposition techniques used by Arab translators when translating The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History by Michael H. Hart (1978) into Arabic. The study seeks to address the following questions: a) what are the types of transposition/class shift used by Arab translators to translate the ST into Arabic; b) what are the factors that govern the translators’ utilization of transposition; and c) to what extent do the Arabic translations differ from the ST. The research draws on Vinay and Darbelnet (1995), Newmark (1988), and Catford 1965/2000. A qualitative approach was followed in this study. The qualitative approach involved identifying each instance of transposition, using a comparative model which is commonly used in translation studies to study shifts. The findings of the study revealed that the Arab translators used four types of transposition: noun to verb, adjective to verb, verb to noun, and adjective to nou...
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