Abstract
One might expect contemporary translation practices to reflect evolving paradigms of cultural understanding. Yet, the translation of Arabic texts into mainstream Western languages—especially English and French—continues to be governed by frameworks that prioritize stereotypes and hegemonic narratives. While the twenty first century has witnessed revolutionary developments in translation technology—ranging from digital platforms and artificial intelligence to social media algorithms and machine learning systems—the underlying master discourses that shape translation remain largely unchanged, whereby the long-established power dynamics that shape it have remained stable. Instead of disrupting existing paradigms, new technologies often serve to maintain and even augment pre-existing master discourses that govern the selection, translation, and interpretation of texts. Drawing on instances of literary import from Arabic, the purpose here is to interpretatively explore how a culturally defined master discourse affects the act of translation: how constraints and disciplinary demands of a master discourse shape mediation, leading along the way to the construction of certain ways of exercising power and representation interculturally (mechanisms of text selection and discursive (often exotic) choices). As a result, alternative voices that challenge the requirements of this master discourse and aim to offer representations that reflect the complex Arab realities, are usually excluded from the translation market. By examining how the master discourse mediates representation through translation, some sense and sensibility might be injected in the intercultural exchanges between Arabic and Western languages; hopefully, perhaps; doubtfully.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Value of Culture and the Demand of Change
KEYWORDS
CULTURE, DYNAMICS, TRANSLATION, ARABIC, MASTER, DISCOURSE
