I think that this article has broader lessons for translation of English into Arabic than simply those of translating Shakespeare or literature. It underscores how valuable a cultural and historical awareness of the target audience has to be when conveying the precise meaning in the message is an absolute must. I quickly drew parallels of the Western world wanting the Arab-speaking world appreciate its values and culture (i.e., capitalist, secular democracies--not just literature).

In her magisterial The Egyptian Theatre: Cultural Encounters, volumes I & II (Cairo, 2004-5), Nehad Selaiha, the far-famed Arabic drama critic, asks "What happens to plays when presented in cultural contexts other than their own? -- to dramatic texts in translation ... ?" This is obviously the central question in any approach to translating Shakespeare into any other language, not merely into Arabic; but with Arabic the question acquires an added difficulty, namely the fact that Arabic lacks the dramatic tradition of most European languages.

Tags: English | Arabic | Shakespeare