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Translation and Cultural Mediation — al-Jabri (1999) / Seminar 3Published
المصدر — Arabic
1الترجمة ليست عملية نقل حيادية للمعنى من لغة إلى أخرى، بل هي فعل تأويلي يتشكّل بالسياق الثقافي والتاريخي.
2
إنّ إعادة بناء المعنى في لغة المستقبِل تستلزم من المترجم أن يكون وسيطاً ثقافياً، لا مجرد ناقلٍ للألفاظ.
3ولذا فإن الترجمة، في جوهرها، فعلٌ سياسيّ وإيديولوجيّ تتجلى فيه علاقات القوة بين الثقافات.
Translation — English
1Translation is not a neutral transfer of meaning from one language to another, but an interpretive act shaped by cultural and historical context.
2
The reconstruction of meaning in the target language requires the translator to act as a cultural mediator — not merely a conveyor of words.
3Translation is, at its core, a political and ideological act in which power relations between cultures become visible.
DiscussionSegment 2
PN
Prof. NakamuraTeacher
Notice how al-Jabri uses إعادة بناء (“rebuilding”) rather than a more neutral word — this signals a constructivist stance. Compare with Venuti §3.2 ↗
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AM
Yes — and the choice of وسيطاً ثقافياً (cultural mediator) rather than “translator” reinforces this.
JL
Jana L.Student
Is this similar to what Spivak argues about the translator's ethical responsibility? The Arabic feels stronger here than the English.
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