Navigating Cultural Landscapes: Textual Insights into English–Arabic–English Translation

Abstract

Abstract Culture, a multifaceted concept, embodies the diverse aspects of human life, differing markedly across communities. Each community is distinguished by unique characteristics that collectively define its cultural identity. This diversity presents translators with considerable challenges, particularly when it comes to translating cultural references (CRs). An adequate translation requires an in-depth comprehension of the source culture’s nuances to accurately represent them within the target culture. It also necessitates not only a linguistic translation but also a cultural transposition, where the essence of one culture is thoughtfully conveyed to another, preserving its original meaning and context. The current research therefore aimed to investigate the various factors that present cultural barriers in terms of the translation of CRs from English to Arabic and vice versa. To achieve this, it employed an integrated approach made up of hermeneutics, translation equivalence, textual analysis, and functionality, allowing analysis of all aspects of the text. The findings demonstrate the importance of thorough text analysis that encompasses both intratextual and extratextual elements, alongside interpretation of the text within its primary context. It was also noted that CRs in English and Arabic pose challenges for translators in terms of both comprehension and production: such challenges include the existence of forms that may not readily enable translators to deduce meanings and difficulties in conveying English concepts accurately into Arabic. To overcome these hurdles, the study thus recommends the adoption of an integrated approach to culture-based texts to ensure that the internal and external features of the source text are captured in the target text.