The reality of translating literature from Hebrew to Arabic The novel as a model

Abstract

This research is interested in studying the reality of translation from Hebrew to Arabic, especially the translation of novels. The research relied on translated and published novels, from certain publishing houses, and it includes about 29 novels translated from Hebrew to Arabic. The first translation in this field was Ahavat Zion )loving Zion(, a novel by Abraham Mapu (1808-1867), translated by Salim Al-Dawoodi, and published by the Al-khidewiah Press in Cairo in 1899. Translations from Hebrew to, and vice versa, had Flourished after the establishment of the State of Israel, in particular after 1967 War, and resumed after the peace agreement with Israel. The largest wave of such translations was carried out in newspapers, magazines and academic research in part. The eighties and nineties of the last century were a period of translation activity in regard of partial translations in newspapers. The numbers of translations of full novels published so far have not exceeded thirty in most cases, and the number of translations published in Israel is approximate to the translations published in the Arab countries. The trends of novels that were translated inside Israel were of specific trends, and the translated works that were chosen were initiated, encouraged, and financed by organizations supported by the Israeli establishment. In addition, the translators also had a role in choosing the translated novels into Arabic to obtain financial support. As for the translated Hebrew works in the Arab countries, their focus was on the conditions and sufferings of the Israelis from Arab descent in Israel, and on the failure of Zionism and the issues of existential anxiety the Israelis are experiencing.