تويت
Lexical Differences between English and Arabic in Translation:
There are many lexical differences between English and Arabic. Here we can only give a few examples.
Some words have straightforward meaning in the two languages. For instance, the corresponding English word tree is the Arabic word شجرة .Thus the translation of the English sentence The tree is big would be
الشجرة كبيرة and the Arabic sentence هذه الشجرة جميلة would be translated in English as This tree is beautiful.
However, the Arabic word عم(the brother of one's father) and خال (the bother of one's mother) have only one corresponding English word uncle. In translating the English sentence;
I went to visit my uncle yesterday, into Arabic would be problematic as we have to choose between عم and خال unless the sentence is put in a proper context. Similarly, if we are translating the Arabic sentence; ذهبت لزيارة خالي بالأمس
into English we have no alternative except as; I went to visit my uncle yesterday and the reader would not be able to understand from the translation whether we are referring to an uncle from the father's side or the mother's side. Unless, of course, the context makes it clear or we add a note clarifying the meaning intended.
Another example showing lexical differences between English and Arabic is the following:
The English word soft is an adjective. It is used with many different nouns to mean different things. In translating this word into Arabic we will get different meanings, expressed by the use of different words;
e.g. soft skin جلد ناعم, soft mud طين رطب , soft light ضوء خافت soft rain مطر خفيف …etc.
Sometimes, there are words in English which have no equivalents in Arabic and vice versa (Words in Arabic which have no equivalents in English). This is because of cultural differences or because a word is a newly coined word in English or Arabic.
For instance, the Arabic word عِدّة which is used to refer to the period that a woman must spend before getting married again after divorce. Another word which is found in Arabic but has no equivalent in English is the word سحور . This word refers to a meal which Muslims eat before dawn in the month of Ramadhan (The month of fasting). Such words and words like them (which have no equivalents in English) pose a problem for the translator. Such words are usually transcribed (i.e. written as they are in the target language (TL)) with the addition of an explanation of their meaning in TL.
There are many lexical differences between English and Arabic. Here we can only give a few examples.
Some words have straightforward meaning in the two languages. For instance, the corresponding English word tree is the Arabic word شجرة .Thus the translation of the English sentence The tree is big would be
الشجرة كبيرة and the Arabic sentence هذه الشجرة جميلة would be translated in English as This tree is beautiful.
However, the Arabic word عم(the brother of one's father) and خال (the bother of one's mother) have only one corresponding English word uncle. In translating the English sentence;
I went to visit my uncle yesterday, into Arabic would be problematic as we have to choose between عم and خال unless the sentence is put in a proper context. Similarly, if we are translating the Arabic sentence; ذهبت لزيارة خالي بالأمس
into English we have no alternative except as; I went to visit my uncle yesterday and the reader would not be able to understand from the translation whether we are referring to an uncle from the father's side or the mother's side. Unless, of course, the context makes it clear or we add a note clarifying the meaning intended.
Another example showing lexical differences between English and Arabic is the following:
The English word soft is an adjective. It is used with many different nouns to mean different things. In translating this word into Arabic we will get different meanings, expressed by the use of different words;
e.g. soft skin جلد ناعم, soft mud طين رطب , soft light ضوء خافت soft rain مطر خفيف …etc.
Sometimes, there are words in English which have no equivalents in Arabic and vice versa (Words in Arabic which have no equivalents in English). This is because of cultural differences or because a word is a newly coined word in English or Arabic.
For instance, the Arabic word عِدّة which is used to refer to the period that a woman must spend before getting married again after divorce. Another word which is found in Arabic but has no equivalent in English is the word سحور . This word refers to a meal which Muslims eat before dawn in the month of Ramadhan (The month of fasting). Such words and words like them (which have no equivalents in English) pose a problem for the translator. Such words are usually transcribed (i.e. written as they are in the target language (TL)) with the addition of an explanation of their meaning in TL.
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