Intercultural Communication and the Translation of Children’s Literature from English into Arabic:Bridging Worlds through Word

Abstract

Translation as an intercultural act involves the transmission of cultural aspects rather than cross-language communication. This role becomes more challenging and problematic when the target audience is children. The research aims at examining the process of translating culture-specific aspects found in children's books, namely Roald Dahl's Matilda and Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, from English to Arabic. Additionally, it aims to explore the impact of translation on intercultural communication, adopting an analytical approach. It explores the transmission of cultural aspects and their implication on the TT. The first part of the study places translation in the context of intercultural communication and examines the irreplaceable role of translation activities in the cultural changes of the target language. The second part focuses on children’s literature and its translation. It aims to shed light on the various strategies employed in the translation process and the manner in which culture-specific elements are treated within children's literature. Finally, the third part covers the practical side of the research. It examines the translation of culture-specific elements in Matilda and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland from English to Arabic. It highlights the different strategies used by translators when handling these elements and explores the impact of the translated culture-specific elements on facilitating or hindering intercultural communication. Through a comprehensive analysis of the two novels, it is found out that the translators made use of both foreignization and domestication strategies in their translations of Matilda and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The choice of whether to maintain the cultural distinctiveness of the source text or adapting it to align with the target culture can impact intercultural communication, either by facilitating or hindering it. The dissertation's key finding is that understanding the translation of culture-specific elements in children's literature and making precise choices regarding translation strategies are crucial factors in facilitating effective intercultural communication.