Loss and Gain in Translating Culture: Year of the Elephant’s Novella as a Case Study

Abstract

Loss and gain in translating culture have long been debated and continue to be debated. Transforming one culture to another is challenging and creates an obstacle to a successful translation. Considering the differences and distinctions present in each culture, it is notoriously difficult to overcome the cultural barriers in translation. However, many translation theorists propose innumerable translation strategies for rendering this issue. The general tendency of these theorists is either to domesticate or foreignize with reference to Venuti’s work (1995), which uses these two opposing concepts. Visibility and invisibility are other synonyms of domestication and foreignization. When the translator uses domesticating strategies, he/she is invisible. When the translator uses foreignizing strategies, he/she is visible. The research methodology is the qualitative approach where samples of culture specific items are analyzed. Further, the research attempts to enlighten the reader on the transfer of culture from Arabic into English. Its ultimate goal is to identify the most efficient translation strategies applied to reduce loss and enhance gain.