Translation of Arabic Ecological Terms: An Eco-Cultural Approach

Abstract

Unlike most translations which are carried out within the Indo-European language-family and culture, the translation of Arabic language and culture into English language and culture tends to cause serious problems for translators. This paper is an attempt to examine the problems and difficulties in translating Arabic ecological terms of literary and religious texts using Peter Newmark’s (1988) ecological categorizations of ‘Fauna’, Flora’, and other ‘Geographical features’ in conceptualised and contextualised examples as parameters for discussion and analysis. Results of the discussion and analysis of the samples used in this paper have highlighted the importance of attending to ecological issues in translation and the need for an eco-cultural approach to be used for solving such problems. Some suggestions and recommendations have been made to help translators adjust their translation methods to fit the Arabic eco-cultural context as well as those who are interested in carrying out further research in this field.

Language And Ecology In Prophet Muhammad’s Hadiths

“…On the other hand, other studies conducted 'ecological' analyses in relation to problems of translation from Arabic language and culture into English language and culture (e.g., Halimah, 2018;Shousha, 2021;El-Wakil, 2021). In these studies, attention is paid to the problems associated with translating Arabic ecological terms of literary and religious texts (translations of the Holy Quran and the Prophetic Hadiths).…”