آرشیو

آرشیو شماره‌ها:
۲۹

چکیده

اسامی خاص در متون ادبی، به ویژه در متون سفرنامه ای، تنها ابزارهای ارجاعی به افراد، مکان ها یا نهادها نیستند، بلکه می توانند کارکردهایی فراتر از شناسایی داشته باشند و لایه هایی از معنا، هویت، ایدئولوژی و حافظه فرهنگی را منتقل کنند. پژوهش حاضر با تمرکز بر رمان «سیاحت نامه ابراهیم بیگ» و بر اساس نظریه دو عمل گیبکا (2018)، به بررسی نقش های ثانویه ای پرداخته است که اسامی خاص در متن اصلی ایفا می کنند. این نقش ها شامل نقش اجتماعی، بومی سازی، معنایی، طنز، تعلیمی، کنشی، تلمیحی، آشکارسازی، بیانگری، آرزومندی، شاعرانه، مخفی گری و یادبودی هستند. در ادامه، ترجمه عربی این اثر با استفاده از چارچوب راهبردهای فرناندز (2006) تحلیل شده است تا میزان موفقیت هر یک از راهبردها در انتقال این نقش ها ارزیابی شود. یافته ها نشان داد که راهبرد «نسخه برداری» بیش از سایر راهبردها در انتقال برخی نقش ها، مانند نقش اجتماعی و بومی سازی، موفق عمل کرده است، اما در بازنمایی سایر نقش های اسامی اشخاص و نقش های چندوجهیِ اسامی مکان ها، ناکارآمد ظاهر شده است. تحلیل نهایی بر اساس نظریه «فضای سوم» سوجا (1996) نشان داد که بسیاری از مکان های فرهنگی که کارکردی فراتر از موقعیت جغرافیایی دارند، در ترجمه دچار تقلیل معنایی شده و به فضاهایی صرفاً جغرافیایی تبدیل شده اند. این پژوهش بر لزوم رویکردی نقش محور و بافت محور در ترجمه اسامی خاص تأکید دارد.

A Functional Analysis of Proper Names in The Travelogue of Ebrahim Beyg and Their Representation in the Arabic Translation Based on Gibka’s Model and Fernández’s Procedures

Proper names in travel narratives are not merely referential devices used to identify individuals, places, or institutions. Rather, they may perform functions that extend beyond identification, conveying layers of meaning, identity, ideology, and cultural memory. This study, focusing on the novel The Travelogue of Ebrahim Beyg and drawing on Gibka’s (2018) two-act model, investigates the secondary functions that proper names assume in the source text. The findings reveal that these include sociological, localizing, semantic, humorous, didactic-educative, conative, allusive, revealing, expressive, desirous, poetic, camouflaging, and commemorative functions. The Arabic translation of the novel was then analyzed using Fernández’s (2006) translation procedures to evaluate the effectiveness of each in transferring these functions. The results indicate that “copying” has been more successful than other procedures in conveying certain functions—particularly sociological and localizing functions—but has proved ineffective in representing the complex functions of personal and place names. A final analysis, informed by Soja’s (1996) theory of Thirdspace, revealed that many culturally significant spaces extending beyond geographic places are semantically reduced in translation, becoming merely geographic in nature. The study emphasizes the necessity of a function-oriented and context-aware approach to the translation of proper names. Introduction Proper names—including place names and personal names—serve multiple functions in historical and literary texts. They lend credibility to the narrative, reveal ideological biases, and often act as vehicles of cultural mediation. In travelogues, the frequent use of proper names enables authors to enhance the authenticity of their accounts, validate firsthand experiences, and shape readers’ perceptions of various locations and encounters (Pratt, 2007). As Edward Said (1978) observes, European travel writers often meticulously recorded local place names to assert the originality of their discoveries, while simultaneously introducing Europeanized versions of these names to reinforce colonial dominance. This dual and seemingly contradictory function of proper names highlights the tension between representation and power in travel narratives. Selective naming—or deliberate omission—has often enabled Western travel writers to portray foreign societies as exotic, contributing to the construction of a cultural “Other” (Kabbani, 1994). For example, in certain nineteenth-century Orientalist texts, authors reduced individual identities to generic labels such as “the Oriental,” thereby perpetuating stereotypes (Said, 1978). In contrast, postcolonial travel writers like V.S. Naipaul and Ryszard Kapuściński have challenged these Western narratives by foregrounding indigenous names (Youngs, 2013). Proper names have also been employed as tools for satire and ideological critique, as exemplified in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels , where invented place names serve to mock political institutions. Thus, proper names are not merely referential; they often carry symbolic, political, and ideological significance (Algeo, 1973; Van Langendonck & Van de Velde, 2016). Given the multifaceted functions of proper names in travel writing, their translation poses considerable challenges. They are both linguistic signs and carriers of cultural and ideological meaning. Translation, as an intercultural process, is influenced by the differing cultural norms and ideological orientations of the source and target societies. Various strategies have been employed in the translation of proper names, each preserving certain functions while potentially erasing others. For example, transliteration may retain the phonetic form of the original name but fail to convey its cultural connotations. While most studies on the translation of travel writing have focused on Western travelogues, Eastern travel narratives have received comparatively little attention. Despite the significance of proper names and the complexities involved in translating them, a noticeable gap remains—particularly regarding translations into Arabic. Although some studies have examined the translation of proper names in fantasy literature, children’s books, interpreting, and philosophical-literary texts (Abdul-Baqi, 2016; Amari Alahyari et al., 2023; Kashavarz, 2021; Shanaki & Ehteshami, 2022), the translation of proper names in Eastern travel writing remains underexplored. To address this gap, the present study investigates the translation of proper names in Eastern travelogues into Arabic. The corpus comprises the three volumes of The Travelogue of Ebrahim Beyg by Zeyn al-Abedin Maraghe’i. The primary aim is to analyze the functions of proper names in the original text using Gibka’s (2018) functional model. Additionally, the study evaluates the translation procedures employed, based on Fernández’s framework (2006). Ultimately, it assesses the extent to which the functions and implicit connotations of proper names are preserved or lost in translation, and how this affects the reader’s understanding of the target text.   Literature Review Several studies have explored the translation of proper names across different genres and theoretical frameworks. Abdul-Baqi’s (2016) thesis investigated the translation of proper names in children’s literature, focusing on Alice in Wonderland and its Arabic translation. Using Davies’ seven-strategy model, the study revealed that literal preservation of names was used in 85% of cases, with intratextual addition, omission, localization, transformation, and generalization occurring less frequently. Kashavarz (2021) examined strategies for translating proper names in philosophical-literary novels. Using Van Coillie’s ten-strategy framework, the study analyzed the Arabic translation of Symphony of the Dead , finding that transcription and the addition of descriptive details were most common. However, certain choices resulted in the loss of functional aspects of the original names. Horri (2022) analyzed the translation style of Saleh Hosseini across five English novels ( Animal Farm, 1984, The Sound and the Fury, Absalom, Absalom! and Go Down, Moses ). Applying Leppihalme’s framework, the study found that Hosseini employed both foreignizing and domesticating strategies. It concluded that style in the source text reflects the author’s voice, whereas in the target text, it reflects the translator’s agency. Shanaki and Ehteshami (2022) critiqued the Persian translation of proper names in five fantasy novels. Using Gibka’s model and Van Coillie’s framework, they found that omission often led to loss of meaning and function, emphasizing the importance of functional translation strategies. Similarly, Amari Alahyari et al. (2023) studied strategies for translating proper names in interpreting, applying Van Coillie’s model. Their analysis of a tourism-related documentary broadcast by Al-Kawthar Network found that non-translation, reproduction, and transcription were most frequent. They concluded that preserving original names was particularly important in tourism texts, given their role in promoting regional identity. Overall, existing research has primarily focused on fantasy, children’s literature, philosophical-literary texts, and interpreting, while systematic analysis of proper names in travel writing remains scarce. Given that travelogues contain rich semantic, historical, and cultural layers—providing insights into geographical, religious, and political contexts—accurate translation of proper names in these texts is crucial. The present study therefore focuses on The Travelogue of Ebrahim Beyg , analyzing the functions and secondary meanings of proper names using Gibka’s (2018) model and evaluating their Arabic translation through Fernández’s (2006) framework.   Method This study draws upon the three volumes of The Travelogue of Ebrahim Beyg by Zeyn al-Abedin Maraghe’i (1321 AH) and its Arabic translation by Mohammad Salama Alawi (2000). The corpus consists of the Persian edition edited by Sepanlou (2024) and its Arabic counterpart by Alawi. Employing a descriptive-analytical method with a quantitative component, all proper names were extracted from the Persian text and matched with their Arabic equivalents. The analysis proceeded in two stages: Using Gibka’s (2018) function-oriented model to identify the thirteen functions of proper names in the source text. Applying Fernández’s (2006) ten translation procedures to assess how these functions were transferred into Arabic. The theoretical foundation of this study rests on the premise that proper names in literary texts are not merely referential but also cultural, social, and symbolic. Gibka’s model enables nuanced analysis by distinguishing thirteen distinct functions of proper names, while Fernández’s framework provides a comprehensive classification of translation procedures. Together, they allow for a systematic evaluation of how proper names are represented in translation and the extent to which their functions are preserved or altered.   Conclusion In this travelogue, the social function of personal names was most often conveyed through transcription, a procedure well-suited to the linguistic similarities of Persian and Arabic. As a result, the social status of individuals was largely preserved in the Arabic translation. This also applied to the localizing function, which typically reflects birthplace or ethnic origin. However, the findings show that transcription was less effective in conveying semantic and expressive functions. For place names, conative, expressive, revealing, and commemorative functions are particularly important, yet these were often diminished when translators relied heavily on copying or transcription. Such strategies, as Venuti (1995) cautions, risk “foreignization,” reducing culturally rich spaces to mere physical geography. Soja’s (1996) theory of Thirdspace provides a useful lens here. Rejecting binary views of space as either material ( Firstspace ) or abstract ( Secondspace ), Soja conceptualizes Thirdspace as a lived, hybrid realm where geography intersects with history, identity, and collective memory. Place names in The Travelogue of Ebrahim Beyg often operate within this Thirdspace , embodying cultural and mnemonic dimensions. When translators reduce them to mere geographic references, these deeper layers are lost. In sum, place names in travelogues are not simply geographical markers but cultural and historical signifiers that shape readers’ spatial understanding. Preserving their Thirdspace dimensions is therefore essential. Proper names act as gateways, transporting readers into lived spaces where geography is interwoven with identity, myth, and memory. This study underscores the need for function-oriented, context-sensitive strategies in translating proper names, particularly in travel writing.

تبلیغات