The Impact of Translator’s Gender and Culture on the Arabic Translations of Morrison's The Bluest Eye: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

This paper examines the influence of the gender and culture of Arab male translators on the Arabic translations of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. It compares the translations by Kamel Youssef Hessein and Fadel Soultani, and focuses on how gender biases and cultural contexts influence the translation and affect the portrayal of female characters. The study employs a qualitative method, integrating Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Toury's Translational Norms (TN) to assess the Arab male translators' linguistic choices and their impact on the target texts (TTs). Through a paratextual, descriptive, interpretative, and translational norms analysis, the research identifies cases of gender bias, cultural adaptation, and ideological influences in the translations. The findings reveal that male translators' interpretations lead to subtle erasures and alterations of female characters' voices, reflecting certain patriarchal and cultural biases. The study emphasizes the need of taking into account the gender and cultural background of the translator in literary translation.