ABSTRACT

This article examines the (re)translation into English of Naguib Mahfouz’s 1959 novel Awlād Ḥāratinā as a socially-situated activity. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of practice, it analyses retranslation as an intrusive, symbolically-violent act in relation to a text which itself triggered unfavourable reactions when it was published in Arabic and when it subsequently appeared in English (re)translation. Awlād Ḥāratinā stands out as one of the few allegorical fiction works written in Arabic, which offers a unique case for the study of retranslation. Through an analysis of the paratextual materials of the two available translations of Mahfouz’s novel (originally published in 1981 and 1996, respectively), this article identifies and critically examines the mechanisms of symbolic violence through which the translators, Philip Stewart and Peter Theroux, attempted to distinguish themselves and their works. The extent and intensity of the disputes between Stewart and Theroux also speak to this case study’s significance. The findings suggest that a Bourdieusian perspective can expand and enrich the understanding and theorising of retranslation. They also illustrate that retranslation is not an act of mere linguistic or stylistic improvement on previous efforts but is often an act of symbolic violence and a site for struggle through which differences between translatorial agents are created and maintained, primarily via the generation and leveraging of capital.

摘要

本文研究了纳吉布·马富兹（Naguib Mahfouz）1959年的小说《阿拉尔·达拉提那（AwlādḤāratinā）》在社会上的定位活动。借鉴布迪厄的实践理论，它把重新翻译分析为一种与文本有关的侵入性，象征性暴力行为，当文本以阿拉伯文出版并随后以英语（重新）翻译出现时，文本本身会引起不利的反应。AwlādḤāratinā脱颖而出，是少数用阿拉伯语写的寓言小说之一，为重新翻译研究提供了独特的案例。通过分析Mahfouz小说（分别于1981年和1996年分别出版）的两种可用译本的超文本材料，本文确定并批判地考察了译者Philip Stewart和Peter Theroux试图通过符号暴力进行的机制。区分自己和他们的作品。斯图尔特和特鲁之间的争议的程度和强度也说明了本案例研究的重要性。这些发现表明，布尔迪厄斯的观点可以扩大和丰富重新翻译的理解和理论。