Investigation of the Translator's Approach in Rendering Intertextuality: A Case Study of the Novel The Blind Owl

Document Type : research article

Authors

Department of English Language, Qo.C., Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran.

Abstract

Translation of literary texts could be subject to numerous challenges deriving from intertextuality through which the blending of various texts can severely change the structure of the borrowed text. Such conditions can make it very difficult or even impossible for a translator, especially a non-native one, to identify and convey intertextual elements. Therefore, the present study aims to identify and categorize the instances of intertextuality in The Blind Owl, using a descriptive-analytical method, and compare them with the corresponding elements in its English translation to determine the translation strategies employed by the translator to assess his overall approach (domestication or foreignization). To this end, first, the intertextual elements in the Persian version of the mentioned work were extracted, and then the strategies used in its translation were identified. Based on the findings, the strategies used by the translator in the English translation of the novel, in descending order of frequency, include: minimum change (43%), replacement by a performed TL item (23%), combination of strategies (18%), reduction to sense (13%), and omission (3%). In addition, the findings show that the translator’s predominant approach in rendering intertextual elements was domestication. The results also indicate that the extent of cultural differences between the two languages, the level of the translator's background knowledge, and his expectations of the audience play a significant role in the choice of translation strategies.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Ahmadgoli, K., & Menbari, S. (2012). T. S. Eliot's Poetry in Persian: A Case of Translating Allusions. Research in Contemporary World Literature, 16(63), 5-23. (In Persian)
Alboughobaish, A. (2016). The Relationship Between Intertextuality and Postmodern Ontology in The Short Story KMirza YunosL by Sirous Shamisa. Literary Crticism. 9(34), 33-62. https://dor.org/20.1001.1.20080360.1395.9.34.1.9. (In Persian)
Azar, I. (2016). An analysis of Genette's intertextual theories. Literary criticism and stylistics research, 7(24), 11-31. https://www.magiran.com/p1643693. (In Persian)
Chen, Z. (2009). Application of intertextuality theory in translation practice. Journal of huanggang normal university, 29(4), 135-138.
De Beaugrande, R. & W. Dressler. (1981). Introduction to text linguistics. London & New York: Longman. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315835839
Genette, G. (1997). Palimpsets: Literature in the second degree (Ch. Newman, & C. Doubinsky, Trans.). University of Nebraska Press. (Original work published 1982)
Hesampour, S., Asadi, S., & Pirsoufi Amlashi, Z. (2016). Intertextuality in Ahmad Reza Ahmadi's It Was Raining in the Big Garden. Iranian Children's Literature Studies, 7(1), 25-48.‏ https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2016.3097. (In Persian)
Jafari, F., & Allahdadi Dastjerdi, Z. (2021). The Analysis of the Basics of Gerard Genette’s Intertextuality in Farhad Hassanzadeh's The Bambak Ship’s Scorpions for Young Adults. Literary Text Research, 25(88), 142-168. https://doi.org/10.22054/LTR.2020.47834.2854. (In Persian)
Jalali, M. (2015). Applied Principles of Criticism in Comparative Children's Literature. New Literary Studies, 48(2), 141-166. https://doi.org/10.22067/jls.v48i2.40408. (In Persian)
Kalıpcı, M. (2018). Subtitling allusions from English to Turkish: Study of the Simpsons movie. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 14(1), 342-359.
Karami, M., Ghobadi, H., Nikoubakht, N., & Gholamhossein Zadeh, Gh. (2013). Intertextual analysis of the Daneshvar, s Mar o mard story. Fiction Studies. 1(3), 37- 48. (In Persian)
Kaźmierczak, M. (2019). Intertextuality as translation problem: Explicitness, recognisability and the case of “literatures of smaller nations”. Russian Journal of Linguistics, 23(2), 362-382. https://doi.org/10.22363/2312-9182-2019-23-2-362-382
Kristeva, J. (1969). Semeiotiké: Recherches pour une sémanalyse. Paris: Seuil.
Leppihalme, R. (1997). Culture bumps: An emperical approach to the translation of allusions. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Li, T. (2022). [Retracted] Intertextuality between French Literature Creation and Literature Translation Based on Feature Extraction and Gram Matrix. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 2022(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9375840
Long, Y., & Yu, G. (2020). Intertextuality theory and translation. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 10(9), 1106-1110.‏ http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1009.14
Matoušková, R. (2022). Intertextuality in contemporary fantastic fiction. Radomskie Studia Filologiczne. Radom Philological Studies, 1(11), 101-111. https://doi.org/10.24136/rsf.2022.007
Mirzaei, F., & Sheikhighalat, S. (2013). Transferring the Meaning and Intertextuality Based on Leppihalme’s Model: A case study of Ahmad Mattar's poems. Translation Researches in the Arabic Language And Literature, 3(7), 41-58.‏ https://dor.org/20.1001.1.22519017.1392.37.2.1 . (In Persian)
 Namvar Motlagh, B. (2008). Transtextual Study. Human Sciences, (56 (special Issue on linguistics)), 127-142. https://sid.ir/paper/66764/en. (In Persian)
Namvar Motlagh, B. (2016). Beynamatniyat, Az Sakhtargara’i ta Post-Modernism. Tehran: Sokhan. (In Persian)
Niknasab, L., & Partovirad, T. (2021). A study of Persian-English narrative poems translation: Focus on key-phrase allusions. Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Translation Studies, 6(2), 23-56.‏ https://doi.org/10.22034/efl.2021.274404.1084
Rezvantalab, Z., & kordeyazdi, S. (2023). Analysis of the translation of the novel "Someone I loved" written by Anna Gavalda and translated by Elham Darchinian according to Vinay and Darbelnet theories. Journal of Foreign Language Research, 13(1), 145-156. http//doi.org/ 10.22059/jflr.2022.344942.964. (In Persian)
Salehi, A. (2013). “Translation of Allusions in Subtitling from English into Persian.” International Journal of Comparative Literature & Translation Studies 1(1): 18–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijclts.v.1n.1p.17
Sassani, F., Farjah, M., Navabzadeh shafiei, S., & Nafar, R. (2023). Relevance of Translatability of Cultural Elements in Literary Translation based on Newmark's Theory. Journal of Foreign Language Research, 13(4), 579-594. http//doi.org/ 10.22059/jflr.2023.362698.1055. (In Persian)
Venuti, L. (2009). Translation, intertextuality, interpretation. Romance Studies, 27(3), 157-173. https://doi.org/10.1179/174581509X455169
Wafa Moulay, H., & Maroua, A. (2022). Intertextual allusions and evaluation of their translation: Case study the catcher in the rye by JD salinger [Published master’s thesis]. Kasdi Merbah Ouargla University.
Yusef Fam, A., & Taheri, R. (2018). Persian Tales: Derivation of “One Thousand and One Days” tales by Gérard Genette’s Intertexualite approach. Culture and Folk Literature. 6(22), 179-203. http:// dor.org/ 20.1001.1.23454466.1397.6.22.8.1. (In Persian)
Zamani, F., & Sahebi, M. (2020). The Intertextual Semiotics of Welcome to Hades Novel. Journal of Research in Narrative Literature, 9(3), 37-54. https://doi.org/  10.22126/RP.2020.5345.1231 . (In Persian)
Zhou, Y. (2023). The influence of intertextuality on literary translation from the perspective of social psychology—with the reference to gone with the wind.‏ Lecture Notes on Language and Literature, 6(3), 37-43. https://doi.org/10.23977/langl.2023.060307
Zhu, Ch. (2004). Intertextuality and translation studies. Journal of PLA foreign languages university, 27(4), 71-74.
Journal of Foreign Language Research
Volume 16, Issue 1
April 2026
Pages 43-59

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics