While there is a wealth of research on Assia Djebar’s francophone texts, including their translation in other languages, there are very few studies looking into how these texts have fared in Arabic translation. To fill this gap, the present article explores the back-translation of Djebar’s works in the Arab world, especially in her home country, Algeria. Drawing on Jiresch and Broomans’ (2011) model of cultural transfer, it first investigates the transfer of Djebar’s oeuvre in the Arab world. Adopting Klaudy and Heltai’s (2020) typology of cultural back-translation, the article then analyzes the Arabic translation of Djebar’s last novel, Nulle part dans la maison de mon père (2007; Nowhere in My Father’s House). The findings show that not only has the transfer of Djebar’s works back in the Arab world failed, with the majority of these works being held in a prolonged quarantine, but that even when one of these works successfully makes it through the phases of cultural transfer, the discursive choices made during the translation process end up foreignizing the text, further alienating the writer.

Authors:
Sanaa Benmessaoud, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Nawar Al-Hassan Golley, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

About the Presenter(s)
Sanaa Benmessaoud has a PhD in Translation Studies and is currently Assistant Professor at the University of Sharjah, in the UAE
Dr Nawar Al-Hassan Golley is a University Professor/Principal Lecturer at American University of Nottingham in United Arab Emirates

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