Euphemism and (Self-) Censorship: Strategies for translating taboos into Arabic

Translation is not only a linguistic activity, but is also a cultural one. Language and culture are tightly linked together, and translation involves transferring cultural elements from one language to another. In this research, I will conduct an analytical study of the translation strategies employed by Arab translators for translating cultural and religious-laden English texts. Arab translators resort to different translation strategies, such as euphemism and self-censorship, depending on the type and nature of the foreign cultural and religious elements in the original English text. In this research, I will also investigate the role played by the “agent of translation” (i.e., the state or translation institution) and other types of pressures that could be exercised on the TL translator. On the practical side of the study, I will analyze the translation of Dan Brown’s Inferno from English to Arabic. I have chosen to focus on the Arabic translation of Inferno for my sample analysis because the Arabic version of Inferno is a fairly recent translation. As such, the findings and observations arising from this research will represent an up-to-date sample of translation and taboo in the literature of the Arab world