Foreignizing and domesticating religious terms and expressions in children’s literature

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the application of main translation methods, namely, foreignization and domestication in the process of translating religious terms in children’s literature from English into Arabic. This study aims at finding answers for two question. First, is the translation of religious terms and expressions regulated by norms or not? Second, which translation method did translators opt for when translating religious terms in children’s literature translated from English into Arabic? The study attempts to identify whether when translating English children’s literature into Arabic, translators opt for a specific method or not. A translated version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a translated version of Hansel and Gretel, and a translated version of Cinderella were analysed at the level of diction and discourse. The researcher adopted specific theoretical frameworks to classify the selected items. After identifying the selected items according to the mentioned theoretical framework, the translation of each item will be classified according to the two major methods that are the focus of the current study, i.e., domestication and foreignization. The findings of the analysis show that the translated versions are not regulated by specific norms, and the three translators did not opt for a specific method as both foreignization and domestication were found in both versions. However, the analysis shows that domestication is more prevalent in these translated stories. The findings of this study have some implications for translators in general, translators of children's literature, and translation students.