Chapter 7 LANE 350 Ms. Abrar Mujaddidi Phonic/graphic and prosodic Issues in Translation

The phonic/graphic level Taking a text on the phonic graphic level means looking at it as a sequence of sound-segments (phonemes) or as a sequence of letters (graphemes). Every text is a phonic/graphic configuration These configurations are restricted by the languages the text is written in. No TT can reproduce exactly the sequence of sounds and letters produced by the ST.

cont., This presents always a source of translation loss. The question for the translator is if the loss matters at all. As readers and listeners, we pay little attention to shapes and sounds.

Alliteration, assonance, and rhyme Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound or sound- cluster at the beginning of words E.g. Two tired toads Assonance is the recurrence of the same sound or sound cluster within words E.g. A swift snifter afterwards

cont., Alliteration and assonance occur together as in : French Influence also explains Frederick II’s splendid castles in the South of Italy and Sicily The sound, not the spelling, is the crucial factor in describing alliteration or assonance. The more the technical the text is, the less attention is paid to sounds. The less factual the text is, the more phonic patterns is used for expressive purposes.

Cont., The translator must be guided by the purpose of the text, the needs of the target public, and the function of the phonic features in the context. Sometimes, ST includes a phonic feature that is avoided in the TT: e.g. Pg. 82

Cont., Sound symbolism: The sounds of a given word may evoke other words that are not present in the text The sound of a given word occurs in one or more others, and sets up a link between words e.g. Pg. 82 The translator should decide the purpose of sound symbolism and act accordingly. Consider examples on page 83, 84

Onomatopoeia The only time when a translator is likely to want to try replicating ST sounds is when they are onomatapoeic. Onomatopoeia is a word whose phonic form imitates a sound: splosh, bang, cuckoo

cont., Standard Arabic has a fair number of words which can be regarded as onomatapoeic. صرصر، طقطق، دندن Because of the difference in onomatopoeia between languages, Care may be needed in translating an ST onomatopoeia, particularly when it has a thematic or expressive function.

cont., The safest approach to translate onomatopoeia from ST to TT is to translate the ST onomatopoeia with something other than TT onomatopoeia: لغة الآي آي The language of pain

The Prosodic Level On the prosodic level, utterances count as metrically structured stretches. ‘Metric’ covers three sorts of things: a. Some syllables will be more accentuated than others. b. Variation in vowel pitch and voice modulation affect clarity and expressiveness. c. The speed of the vocal delivery also varies.

cont., For the translator, there are four factors to consider: a. Arabic and English are very different on the prosodic level having different tempi and rhymes. b. The purpose of intonation and stress. c. Select a written form that suggests an intonation in the TT that resembles the one in the ST. d. Exclude any prosodic features that are inappropriate to the message content.

Rudiments of English and Arabic versification English: English meter is syllable and stress meter. The line is defines in terms of feet A line of traditional verse consists of a fixed number of particular feet. Most poems do not have regular beat throughout. Strong stress meter (modern verse)

cont., Arabic: Arabic feet depends on syllable type. Feet consist of varying number of syllables. Most of the classical poems are of the قصيدة form. A قصيدة has a variable number of lines ( بيت ، أبيات ) Modern poets also use free verse. The basic unit of free verse is the single foot التفعيلة

Translating Arabic Verse A translator of the verse text should always question of the ST verse: Decorative Thematic Expressive Translators have two choices in such a case: Use the Arabic monorhyme ( exotic sounding translation) Use a rhyming pattern (typical of English).

Try translating the following poem by Mahmoud Darwish: لا تقل لي : ليتني بائع خبر في الجزائر لأغني مع ثائر ! لا تقل لي : ليتني راعي مواشٍ في اليمن لأغني لانتفاضات الزمن لا تقل لي : ليتني عامل مقهى في هافانا لأغني لانتصارات الحزانى ! لا تقل لي : ليتني أعمل في أسوان حمّالاً صغير لأغني للصخور يا صديقي ! لن يصب النيل في الفولغا ولا الكونغو، ولا الأردن، في نهر الفرات ! كل نهر، وله نبع... ومجرى... وحياة ! يا صديقي !... أرضنا ليست بعاقر كل أرض، ولها ميلادها كل فجر، وله موعد ثائر !

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