Social Deixis in Translation: Social Setting Shifts in Fiction Translation
Keywords:
translation shift; social deixis; point of view; fiction translation; pragmatic approach to translation.Abstract
This paper studies the translation shifts in three Arabic translations of an English
novel to emphasize the role these shifts may play in the change of the social setting of original
story. The data reveal a tendency in translation towards improving the main narrator’s social
relationship and intimacy with characters, while increasing the non-intimate relationship
between the outside frame narrator and characters. The data suggest two explanations for the
shift: (i) translator’s representation of his/her apprehension of the original story or probably
his/her involvement with events of the original (Levý 2011, Eco 2008) and (ii) the translator’s
orientation to produce a more standardized language or style (Toury 1995/2012).
