Translating and Re-narrating Short Story Moral: Mediating Public and Meta Narratives

Haitham Ahmad  Aldreabi

doi:10.35516/hum.v51i6.5215

Authors

Haitham Ahmad Aldreabi Department of Translation, Faculty of Arts, Mutah University, Karak, Jordan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5881-7097

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35516/hum.v51i6.5215

Keywords:

Narrative, translation, interpretation, mediation, morals, short story

Abstract

Objectives: This study explores the role of translation in mediating the morals of short stories by examining the differences in how messages are communicated through meta and publicly elaborated narratives.

Methods: The study employs a contrastive content analysis method to compare the impact of public and meta-narratives on the reception of short stories by Jordanian elementary school students. These short stories aim to either reinforce existing values or introduce new ones.

Results: The study shows that public narratives are effective in reinforcing pre-existing values, while meta-narratives are effective in introducing new values when translation is used as a mediating tool. The study also emphasizes the significance of the narrative dimension of meaning, as no statistically significant differences were found between fourth and seventh genders. The differences were limited to meta and public narration.

Conclusions: The study concludes that the translators must employ different strategies when reinforcing, challenging, or introducing a new interpretation based on their understanding of the target language's context and culture. For example, the importance of recycling might serve as a reminder in one society and as a novel concept in another.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Baker, M. (2005). Narratives in and of Translation. SKASE Journal of Translation and Interpreting, 1-15.

Baker, M. (2019). Translation and Conflict: A Narrative Account. 2nd edn. New York: Routledge.

Burner, J. (1991). The Narrative Construction of Reality. Journal of Critical Inquiry, 18(1), 1-21.

Dahl, R. (2016). Matilda. 3rd edn. UK: Penguin Random House.

Englis, B., Solomon, M. R., & Ashmore, Richard D. (1994). Beauty Before the Eyes of Beholders: The Cultural Encoding of Beauty Types in Magazine Advertising and Music Television. Journal of Advertising 23(2), 49-64.

Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing Discourse: Textual Analysis for Social Research. London: Routledge.

Hansen, A., & Machin, D. (2019). Media and Communication Research Methods. 2nd ed. London: Red Globe Press.

Isbell, R. T. (2002). Telling and Retelling Stories: Learning Language and Literacy. Supporting Language Learning. Young Children, 57(2), 26-30.

Jia, Y., & Lai Jia, X. (2017). A Dialogic approach to intercultural conflict management and harmonious relationships: dialogue, ethics and culture. In Dai, X., & Chen, G. (Ed.), Conflict Management and Intercultural Communication: the art of intercultural harmony (pp.29-37). Routledge: New York.

Kim, K. H. (2020). Critical Discourse Analysis. In Baker, M. & Saldanha, G. (Eds.). Routledge Encyclopaedia of Translation Studies, 3rd ed (pp.119-124). London: Routledge.

Kussmaul, P. (1995). Training the Translator. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Co.

Lathey, B. (2020). Children’s Literature. In Baker, M. & Saldanha, G. (Eds.), Routledge Encyclopaedia of Translation Studies, 3rd ed (pp.60-65). London: Routledge.

Munday, J. (2022). Introducing Translation Studies. 5th edn. New York: Routledge.

Rahim, H., & Rahiem, M. (2013). The Use of Stories as Moral Education for Young Children. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 2(6), 454-458.

Saldanha, G., & O’Brien, Sh. (2014). Research Methodologies in Translation Studies. New York: Routledge.

Schäffner, C., & Shuttleworth, M. (2013). Metaphor in Translation. Target, 25(1), 93-106.

Abbott, H. P. (2002). The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Baker, M. (2005). Narratives in and of Translation. SKASE Journal of Translation and Interpreting, pp.1-15.

Baker, M. (2019). Translation and Conflict: A Narrative Account 2nd edn. New York: Routledge.

Basil, E., Solomon, M. R., and Ashmore, R. D. (1994). Beauty Before the Eyes of the Beholders: The Cultural Encoding of Beauty Types in Magazine Advertising and Music Television. Journal of Advertising, 23 (2), pp.49-64

Burner, J. (1991) The Narrative Construction of Reality. Journal of Critical Inquiry, 18 (1), pp.1-21.

Dahl, R. (2016). Matilda 3rd edn. UK: Penguin Random House.

Englis, B., Solomon, M. R., & Ashmore, Richard D. (1994). Beauty Before the Eyes of Beholders: The Cultural Encoding of Beauty Types in Magazine Advertising and Music Television. Journal of Advertising 23(2), pp.49-64.

Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing Discourse: Textual Analysis for Social Research. London: Routledge.

Hansen, A. & Machin, D. (2019) Media and Communication Research Methods 2nd ed. London: Red Globe Press.

Isbell, R. T. (2002). Telling and Retelling Stories: Learning Language and Literacy. Supporting Language Learning. Young Children, Vol, 57, No.2, pp.26-30.

Jia, Y. & Lai Jia, X. (2017) A Dialogic approach to intercultural conflict management and harmonious relationships: dialogue, ethics and culture. In Dai, X., & Chen, G. (Ed.), Conflict Management and Intercultural Communication: the art of intercultural harmony (pp.29-37). Routledge: New York.

Kim, K. H. (2020) Critical Discourse Analysis. In Baker, M. & Saldanha, G. (Eds.), Routledge Encyclopaedia of Translation Studies, 3rd ed (pp.119-124). London: Routledge.

Kussmaul, P. (1997). Training the Translator. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Co.

Lathey, B. (2020) Children’s Literature. In Baker, M. & Saldanha, G. (Eds.), Routledge Encyclopaedia of Translation Studies, 3rd ed (pp.60-65). London: Routledge.

Munday, J. (2022). Introducing Translation Studies 5th edn. New York: Routledge.

Nodelman, P. (1996). The Pleasures of Children Literature. London: Longman.