Some Cultural and Linguistic Issues Involved in Translating the Theme of Love from Arabic into English in The Seven Odes Translated by Frank E. Johnson

Abstract

The aim of this research paper is to highlight some cultural and linguistic problems associated with translating the theme of the Alghazal in Almalaqat translated by Frank E. Johnson who made a great effort to translate Pre- Islamic poetry. Although he lived in the East and studied Arabic literature, his knowledge of Arab customs, mood, traditions, humors and values were inaccurate. Thus, misconception of idiomatic expressions, poetic rules and general atmosphere of the poems of the source language lead to mistranslation in the target language. It is very clear that Johnson throughout his translation of Almalaqat tried to convey the meanings of the original poems literally, and not to translate the meanings and the ideas of each poem ideationally. Hence; the poems lost their essence as coherent verses because each line is linked with another strongly.

The study discusses and explains some cultural problems which are apparent in translating the theme of Alghazal, and also some semantic and syntactic issues which lead to distort the meanings of expressions in the source language and lost the original poem its value. In addition, the aesthetic problems will be discussed in details. Also, it presents solutions to the problems that the translator encountered throughout the translation of a literary text.

Keywords: translating Almualaqat, Pre-Islamic poetry, cultural issues, the Seven Odes.