阿拉伯語諺語翻譯成英語：障礙與策略

Translation of Arabic Proverbs Into English: Obstacles and Strategies

一般認為，英譯阿拉伯語諺語時應當排除直譯法，因為這兩種語言的諺語之間一直存在著很大的文化差異。即便如此，這兩種語言諺語的主題內容在許多情況下也會趨同。因而，本研究試圖提出一種形式翻譯法，即透過使用同義反復、隱喻和反諷等修辭手法來驗證和討論阿拉伯語諺語的英文翻譯。研究資料來自埃及著名小說家、諾貝爾獎獲得者納吉布‧邁哈福茲（Naguib Mahfouz）的兩部國際知名小說《梅達格胡同》（Zuqaq Al-Midaq）（Mahfouz, 1947）和《我們街區的孩子們》（Awlad Haretna）（Mahfouz, 1959），以及勒加西（Le Gassick）、斯圖爾特（Stewart）分別對此兩部小說的翻譯版本（Mahfouz, 1947/1975, 1959/ 1981）。本研究認為，包含英語和阿拉伯語文化中共同主題的阿拉伯語諺語很容易進行字面翻譯，而特定文化的諺語可以使用包括功能達意、交際達意等各種翻譯策略。

The common assumption among translators of Arabic proverbs into English is that methods of literal translation should be avoided because Arabic and English proverbs are always culture-specific. This paper, however, contends that formal translation methods can be effectively applied because the thematic content of Arabic and English proverbs does not always diverge; in fact, the content converges in many cases. Methodologically, the English translations of observational and truthful Arabic proverbs, which make use of tautology, metaphor, and irony in their phraseologies, were examined. The study samples were drawn from two internationally renowned novels Zuqaq al-Midaq (Mahfouz, 1947) and Awlad Haretna (Mahfouz, 1959), written by Naguib Mahfouz, a renowned Egyptian novelist and Noble Prize winner. The study also examined Stewart’s translation of Mahfouz’s Awlad Haretna as the Children of Gebelawi (Mahfouz, 1959/1981) and Le Gassick’s translation of Mahfouz’s Zuqa al-Midaq as Midaq Alley (Mahfouz, 1947/1975). The paper argues that Arabic proverbs that encapsulate shared themes in English and Arabic culture lend themselves to literal translation, whereas those that are culturally specific can be translated through the use of various translation strategies, ranging from those capturing the function to those independently capturing the communicative sense in the text.