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Article published In:
FORUM
Vol. 20:1 (2022) ► pp.1–23

Translators’ ideology in Shakespeare’s Othello

| University of Sharjah
| University of Sharjah

The phenomenon that this study seeks to investigate is viewed in many different ways by scholars of Translation Studies. Sometimes, it is seen as “mediation”, or “intervention” and other times, it is seen as sheer “manipulation”, however, these terms all seem to describe the shifts that are found in the target-text, reflecting an ideology not found in the source text. The significance of these kinds of shifts, lies in the fact that they serve to either endorse or resist prevalent ideologies among the audience of the target culture. Applying Teun van Dijk’s multidisciplinary socio-cognitive approach of the ‘ideological square’ (1998; 2011) as well as Hatim & Mason’s (2005) model of the degrees of translators’ mediation, this paper explores how discriminatory ideologies such as racism, misogyny and xenophobia are dealt with in the process of translating Shakespeare’s Othello.

Keywords: translation, ideology, CDA, racism, misogyny, Shakespeare, Othello
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • Othello
    • Othello in the Arab world
    • The translators
      • 1.Khalil Mutran (1872–1949)
      • 2.Jabra Ibrahim Jabra (1919–1994)
    • Hatim and Mason’s (2005) model of the degrees of translator mediation
  • 2.Analysis
    • Examples of negative representations of the other/ emphasis on negative things about the Other
      • A.Racism
      • B.Misogyny
      • C.Xenophobia
    • Hatim & Mason’s (2005) model of the degrees of translators’ mediation
      • 1.Minimal mediation
      • 2.Partial mediation
      • 3.Maximal mediation
  • 3.Conclusion
  • Note
  • Othello
  • Bibliography
Published online: 15 June 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.21015.alo
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