Preserving Cultural Difference in the Translation of Proverbs: A Cultural Linguistics Approach

Abstract

Emirati proverbs are deeply rooted in Emirati culture and social customs and make heavy use of devices typical of classical poetry. The translation of these proverbs is thus particularly challenging, especially that research on the translation of proverbs from the Arabian Peninsula is still scarce. To fill this gap, this article analysed the English translation of Emirati proverbs, using analytical tools from Cultural Linguistics and drawing on Venuti’s ethics of difference. The analysis revealed that while the translation appears to be foreignizing, it replaced Emirati cultural conceptualizations with ones that are more familiar to the English reader. The result is an exoticizing target text that reduces the Emirati culture to a series of clichéd stereotypes.

Keywords: Cultural Conceptualizations, Cultural Linguistics, Foreignizing Translation, Proverbs