Purification Strategy in the Arabic Translations of Diary of A Wimpy Kid

Abstract

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a highly regarded series of novels and the winner of many prizes worldwide targeting children and teenagers. The current paper aims to compare the original novel written in English with its Arabic Translation to highlight the purifying measures taken by the publishers to adapt the inappropriate or unsuitable content for the target reader. The original novel includes mentions of love, relationships, indecent clothes, religion and cultural holidays which all were altered and adapted to the Arabic culture. Based on an interview conducted with the publishers of the Arabic translation, translating and writing for children go through a strict filter to guarantee that any content corresponds with the Arabic values and to guarantee the book’s access to every Arab country. The translator, therefore, seems to be free from the blame of making the changes to the original novel as the publishers dictated the translation guidelines. The paper shows that the translators resorted to using strategies such as omission, substitution, and cultural adaptations to purify the content of the original novel.