A Corpus-Based Comparative Analysis of in the Line of Fire and Sab Se Pehle Pakistan
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Translation as Accommodation: A Corpus-based Comparative Analysis of In the Line of Fire and Sab Se Pehle Pakistan By Aamir Majeed M Phil (Linguistics) B. Z. U. Multan, 2009 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In English (Linguistics) To FACULTY OF LANGUAGES NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MODERN LANGUAGES, ISLAMABAD Aamir Majeed, 2015 ii NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY OF LANGUAGES THESIS AND DEFENSE APPROVAL FORM The undersigned certify that they have read the following thesis, examined the defense, are satisfied with the overall exam performance, and recommend the thesis to the Faculty of Languages for acceptance. Thesis Title: Translation as Accommodation: A Corpus-based Comparative Analysis of In the Line of Fire and Sab Se Pehle Pakistan Submitted By: Aamir Majeed Registration # 373-PhD/Ling/Jan 10 Doctor of Philosophy Name of Degree English Linguistics Name of Discipline Dr. Fauzia Janjua _________________________ Signature of Research Supervisor Name of Research Supervisor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Safeer Awan ____________________ Name of Dean FoL Signature of Dean FoL Maj. Gen. Zia Uddin Najam HI(M) (Retd) ___________________ Name of Rector Signature of Rector __________________________ (Date) iii CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION I, Aamir Majeed Son of Abdul Majeed Registration # 373-PhD/Ling/Jan 10 Discipline English (Linguistics) Candidate of Doctor of Philosophy at the National University ofModern Languages do hereby declare that the thesis Translation as Accommodation: A Corpus-based Comparative Analysis of In the Line of Fire and Sab Se Pehle Pakistan submitted by me in partial fulfillment of PhD degree, is my original work, and has not been submitted or published earlier. I also solemnly declare that it shall not, in future, be submitted by me for obtaining any other degree from this or any other university or institution. I also understand that if evidence of plagiarism is found in my thesis/dissertation at any stage, even after the award of a degree, the work may be cancelled and the degree revoked. ________________ Signature of Candidate Aamir Majeed Name of Candidate _________________ (Date) iv ABSTRACT Title: Translation as Accommodation: A Corpus-based Comparative Analysis of In the Line of Fire and Sab Se Pehle Pakistan Yanow (2004) asserts that translating is not the same thing as transferring knowledge. ‘Transfer’ suggests an objectification or commodification of knowledge, extrapolated from its context, with the translator serving as a mere conduit or channel through which meanings simply pass. Critical trends in translation studies have suggested that translation practice relies not only on linguistic structure but it is also influenced by the context that constitutes extra-linguistic features along with the cultural, ideological and aesthetic norms of linguistic community and collocation patterns of target language. The influence of these factors results in the adjustments of target text according to target context. These adjustments/accommodations help a translator to make a text intelligible and original for target readers because very often target text cannot exert the required effects/meanings if the contextual factors are not considered. The adjustment/accommodation becomes more perceptible in case of wider difference in the contexts of source language and target language. This study analyzed In the Line of Fire produced in English with the aim to address the Westerners and it was translated into Urdu as Sab se Pehle Pakistan for the Pakistani readers. This study aims to explore the ways and patterns of accommodation with which the translator of In the Line of Fire adapts the target text according to the target context. The study examines the selected texts both at macro level (rhetoric, cohesion and coherence) and at micro level (syntax, vocabulary and diction). The data has been analyzed with a crafted analytical framework that shows a fusion of Van Dijk’s (2004) model of text analysis and Shi’s (2004) model of translation as accommodation. The analytical framework helps to compare the source text and the target text and also to trace the cultural, ideological, aesthetic and collocation accommodations both at macro and micro levels. The findings reveal that cultural accommodation is the leading phenomenon at both the levels whereas collocation accommodation and ideological accommodation happen after cultural accommodation at micro and at macro levels respectively. The influence of abstract factors on causing accommodation is far greater than the influence of concrete factors in causing accommodations in the selected texts. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page THESIS AND DEFENSE APPROVAL FORM ....................................................................... ii CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION .......................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................. xvii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................................... xviii DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................... xix 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 What is accommodation? ............................................................................................... 2 1.2 Accommodation in Translation ...................................................................................... 3 1.3 Translation of Political Texts ......................................................................................... 5 1.4 Translation and Ideology................................................................................................ 6 1.5 Socio-Political Context .................................................................................................. 7 1.5.1 Social Texture of Pakistan ........................................................................................... 7 1.5.2 Socio-political Context of Pakistan ............................................................................. 8 1.5.2.1 Political Destability in Pakistan .............................................................................. 10 1.5.2.3 Social System and Its Impacts on Pakistani Politics and Economy .......................... 10 1.5.3 Socio-Political Context of the West ........................................................................... 11 1.6 Background of Translation in Pakistan ......................................................................... 12 1.7 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................. 14 1.8 Rationale of the Study .................................................................................................. 15 1.9 Limitations of the Study ............................................................................................... 16 1.10 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................... 16 1.11 Structure of the Thesis ............................................................................................... 17 2. REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE .............................................................. 20 2.1 Definitions of Translation ............................................................................................ 20 vi 2.2 Translation Theories and Approaches........................................................................... 22 2.3 Diachronic Study of Translation Theories .................................................................... 23 2.4 Translation and Its Relational Factors .......................................................................... 31 2.5.1 Linguistic Aspect of Translation................................................................................ 32 2.5.2 Paralinguistic Aspect of Translation .......................................................................... 33 2.5.3 Translation and Context ............................................................................................ 34 2.5.4 Translation and Ideology ........................................................................................... 36 2.5 Persuasion in Translation ............................................................................................. 39 2.6 Translation and Style ................................................................................................... 39 2.7 Translation and Culture ................................................................................................ 40 2.8 Meaning and Culture ................................................................................................... 42 2.9 Two Tendencies to Handle the Translation of Cultural Specific Words ........................ 45 2.10 Translation Strategies................................................................................................. 46 2.10.1 Syntactic Strategies ................................................................................................