Inner paratext

This descriptive and comparative study aimed to analyze reframing strategies in the Persian translation of Gibran Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet (1923). The study examined the entire book and its three Persian translations: Mostapha Elm (1961), Mahdi Maghsodi (2004), and Hossein Mohyeddin Elahi Ghomshei (2015). Reframing strategies are significant tools used by translators to adapt a text to a different context. To guide this analysis, we applied Baker’s (2007) reframing theory, which includes labeling, outer paratext, inner paratext, and textual choices encompassing translational and contextual strategies. The findings revealed that among the three Persian translations of The Prophet, Elahi Ghomshei’s version employs a rich array of inner and outer paratextual strategies, often Islamizing the text through frequent theological references to classic Persian poets. His translation is also more heavily commented, interpreted, and reframed compared to those of Maghsodi and Elm. Additionally, Elahi Ghomshei’s translation stands out for its temporal and spatial relevance, as it connects the events to the poet’s era and the original Islamic context. In contrast, while Maghsodi’s and Elm’s translations show few signs of such strategies, Elahi Ghomshei’s work offers examples where the content of Persian poems closely aligns with the English text.