Exploring the Importance of Contextual Factors in Translating Islamophobia Caricatures

Abstract

This study sheds light on the role of the contextual factors in rendering the islamophobia caricatures to identify which of these factors is highly effective. The study aims at examining the importance of the speech events of the caricatures in question by the virtue of Hymes’ classification of contextual factors. It also aims at identifying which translation strategy is highly used by the translators in rendering the islamophobia caricatures. Consequently, the current study hypothesizes that ‘participants’ is the most effective factor that may affect the translation process. It also hypothesizes that the translation of this type of caricature is communicatively oriented. Eventually, the study draws two main conclusions that are: (1) identifying both addressors and addressees in the caricatures helps the translators reach the exact meaning of the caricaturists, and (2) the communicative strategy of free procedure has been adopted by the majority of translators.