Journal of Language and Translation Studies
Year:2014 | Volume:46 | Issue:4|Papers Count:7

It is evident for everyone that translation is of importance in communication. The reason is due to the fact that translation is considered both as a building bridge and a common bond among various cultures and people around the world. Many researchers and theorists in the translation field consider style in the literary translation as a significant subject. The present study tries to evaluate the style and the significance of taking it into account in a literary translation. Therefore، the study evaluates the stylistics of a short story entitled as “people’s Child” by Jalal Al-Ahmad، translated by Helena Anguizi into French. This study tries to answer the following questions based on Baker’s Stylistic Theories: to what extent observing (taking into account) the styles in translation of Jalal Al-Ahmad’s works assists in meaning retrieval. Also to see if the translator is allowed to change the author’s style and eventually to what extent the translator has the authority to change the author’s style.

Granted that factors such as gaining a deep insight into different cultures and delving into cultural differences may lead to successful communication and since well-directed communications can be cemented by truth value and trust، this study seeks to investigate the speech act of swearing in the sense of oath taking in Persian and English languages. To this end، 100 movies (50 English movies and 50 Persian ones) were watched and swearing phrases were transcribed. The collected data was analyzed based on Hymes’ (1967) model of SPEAKING. Moreover، religious and sociological aspects of swearing were scrutinized. The findings of this study demonstrated that oath taking occurs in 17 situations in Persian language، whereas there are only 7 ones in English which might depict lack of trust in society. Furthermore، Persian oath enjoyed a wide range of referents in comparison to the English ones. In the end، the probable causes of these differences were discussed.

The Baghdad translation school (Baker 2009) is considered as a turning point in the history of translation. The school is mainly characterized by adopting a scientific approach to and utilizing various strategies in translation practice، and by the variety of subjects translated. On the other hand، skopos theory which was first introduced by Hans Vermeer in the late 1970s is among the most important functional approaches to translation studies in which the skopos or the purpose of translation is the main criterion that determines the final product in the target text. Paying special attention to the readership in the strategies used by the translator and considering the demands of the ‘order’ placed by the translation agent as part of the process of a professional translation for the first time in the history of translation are some other distinct characteristics of skopos theory in the field of translation studies. The present research sought to study the Baghdad translation movement according to the aforementioned features of the skopos theory. The findings indicate clear manifestations of the basic characteristics of skopos theory in the Baghdad school.

In modern societies، technology، teaching، and learning are integrated as they are changing constantly. Real life experience in itself has become a source of reference for the new training content. In this regard، the promotion of higher education، scientific and morally correct path seems more than ever necessary. Since mobile communication in collaboration with the media as game-playing makes the interaction among humans stable، in the current study، teaching English as an international language was examined in a blended manner in order to strengthen the communication lines among citizens from different cultures and nations and eventually make them develop friendly ties. To that end، applying an immersion education system، academic material was taught in English during one semester to 140 male and female students aged 21-26 with intermediate proficiency level through combining formal training with two kinds of games، namely، off the shelf and domestic. The design of the current study is a multi-dimensional one benefiting from formative tests during the process of teaching and learning، summative tests at the end of the semester، and a Likert type attitude questionnaire. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of data revealed a significant relationship between the application of English content reliant on the domestic Iranian-Islamic culture and improvement of Persian learners’ English proficiency. Thus، it can be drawn that the domestic culture-based digital content can act as a mediator to shorten the path of learning foreign languages as well as to ease the interactions so that to develop friendship among nations.

This study is carried out to shed light on one of the lexical problems affecting the performance of translators while attempting to translate from an original text into a target language (in present study، from French to Persian). Polysemy is one of the well identified semantic problems. The words possess different meanings and significations according to the situation and the context in which they are used: most words in natural language are polysemous; they can be used in more than one meaning; dictionaries classify polysemous under a unique entry. In the present study، we attempt to analyze translatability/untranslatability of metaphors according to the lexical semantic، denotation and connotation approach، by examining two Persian translations of “The Red and The Black’’ by Stendhal. Therefore، the essential aim of this study is to show how context helps and may be reinforced in translating polysemous words which will be justified at the end.

The 1980s witnessed a methodological turn in semiotics. This change is rooted in philosophy، particularly phenomenology which is an attempt to invite such concepts as the presence، the sense-understanding process، and the body into definition of meaning. In the 1960s، semiotics was inward and mainly dispensed with life itself، and life experience، instead، it concentrated on the rigid discipline of structuralism. In fact، traditional narrative semiotics cuts the text from life itself and concerns itself with the text and discourse، a temporally and spatially attached subject of study، the discourse is stripped of its materiality. In other words، the text becomes a stage where meaning is exposed without being present. However، phenomenology brings back the present as a main factor of meaning. One good example is Lawndowsky’s semiotics. By using semantic pairing system and controlled slide، he refers to an active relationship، yet perilous، between the subject and the "other" side of the text which is no longer considered as object but is regarded as a subject in itself. The dialectics of two subjects based on concepts such as embodied subject، sense-understanding relationship is formed and enables them to reveal their hidden potentials and pairing thus creating new meanings and values. This study is an attempt to show how the poetic discourse with such concepts as semantic pairing system and controlled slide reveals the dialectics of the poet putting himself as subject in danger in the face of poetic language which resists against the poet life experience، a resistance which creates aesthetic language. In short، the poet plays a dangerous game with language which results in the aesthetic creation of poetic discourse.

Obviously، Sadegh Hedayat and Edgar Allan Poe are two of the most outstanding and influential writers in short story writing whose works have been of interest for many translators، critics، and writers across the world. Hedayat and Poe introduced the Gothic style of writing to the world، in which darkness، fear، disappointment، and death are the main themes. Besides being a writer، both Hedayat and Poe were skillful in poetry and literary criticism. The context of stories in Hedayat and Poe’s works enjoys unique features which have given them a special style. However، so far there has not been a study to show the similarities between these two writers. One of the areas of research in comparative literature in relation to French style is the study of literary characteristics among cultures. In this paper، it is possible to find the literary similarities between these two writers. Characters of stories and the context are some examples which show the similarities of these writers and place them next to each other. In this article، we tried to analyze characters and the context of Hedayat and Poe’s stories and through investigating general similarities of Hedayat and Poe’s works، it is possible to come to a better understanding to know these two writers and the similarities between their works. A discourse analysis method was used for investigation. The findings revealed that there is a specific trend in characters’ line of thinking and the context of stories in that the distraction of the mind، distress، loneliness، and introversion are seen in the characters of stories. The two writers have also utilized the context of stories as an important tool to convey their thoughts.