Maintaining Nubian Cultural Identity in Literary Translation: A Contrastive Analysis of Culture-Specific Items in two English Translations of Idris Ali's Dongola

Mohamed, Ibrahim Abdelhameed Ali; Elshazly, Amany; Ibrahim, Samah Ali

doi:10.21608/qarts.2025.344779.2129

Maintaining Nubian Cultural Identity in Literary Translation: A Contrastive Analysis of Culture-Specific Items in two English Translations of Idris Ali's Dongola

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Master’s Degree in the Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts, Helwan University

² Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts, Helwan University

10.21608/qarts.2025.344779.2129

Abstract

The translation of culture-specific items (CSIs) in literary works plays a pivotal role in bridging cultural gaps and preserving cultural identity. This paper focuses on the translation of Idris Ali's Dongola: A Novel of Nubia, a seminal work in Nubian literature, into English. The novel’s rich cultural context poses significant challenges for translators striving to balance cultural fidelity and audience accessibility. This paper also examines how two translators, Peter Theroux and Ahmed Hussein Khalil, rendered CSIs using domestication and foreignization strategies. It aims at analysing, comparing and contrasting the translation strategies employed by Theroux and Khalil in rendering CSIs in Dongola. Specifically, it identifies the types of CSIs in the novel, evaluates the translation procedures used by the translators based on Davies’s (2003) taxonomy, and applies Venuti’s (1995) domestication and foreignization framework to assess the cultural impact of their strategies. The study adopts a qualitative approach, analyzing a corpus of culture-specific items from Dongola and its two English translations. It employs Davies’s taxonomy of translation procedures and Venuti’s strategies to categorize and evaluate the translators’ choices. Statistical tools are also used to measure the prevalence of each strategy. The analysis reveals that Theroux predominantly employs domestication, prioritizing accessibility for Western readers, whereas Khalil leans toward foreignization, preserving Nubian cultural identity. Both strategies have strengths and limitations in effectively conveying the novel’s cultural depth. This paper underscores the importance of cultural sensitivity in literary translation and highlights the role of translators’ cultural familiarity in shaping identity. It contributes to the field of translating marginalized cultures and provides insights for future translations of culturally rich texts, promoting a balanced approach between fidelity and readability.

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