Dr. Nedelya Kitaeva, who teaches Arabic language and literature at the New Bulgarian University, spoke about her first encounter with translation from Arabic during her university study. She was hesitant to choose a specific author for her master's thesis, but she read the poetic works of Adonis and decided to translate some of his poems.
Kitaeva explained that she was certain that she couldn't write about a poet without immersing herself in his works. Initially, she understood only a little from his poetry; the words had mysterious meanings. However, she sensed the depth of this poetry and his latent potential, and found a description of this feeling in Adonis's words when he spoke of a language beyond language, an image beyond the image, and knowledge beyond knowledge, she said, expressing belief that these words provide the most precise definition of Arab culture and its literature in general. That was the first challenge she faced in the field of Arabic translation, she added.
She pointed out that her first translation work involved an interview with Adonis and a chapter from one of his books, along with some of his poems. She said that thanks to Adonis, she fell into the trap of Arabic poetry, then started reading and translating other Arab poets, including Qasim Haddad, Nizar Qabbani, Ghada Al-Samman, and Iman Mersal. She also began translating short stories and later, novels.
About the challenges she encountered during her translation practice, Kitaeva said that Arabic is not her native language, and she only studied it in Bulgaria. Therefore, she needed more courage when she decided to translate Georgi Gospodinov's novel "The Physics of Sorrow". She pointed out that this novel is complex, not only in terms of translation but also because it resembles a labyrinth based on short stories, as it is a modern experimental novel with a deep cultural context. Additionally, the author's writing style is characterized by the simplicity and depth of the language.
She also said that the challenges of translation vary depending on the texts being translated and the authors who wrote those texts. This requires a lot of work to understand the specific details of each author's work.
Kitaeva emphasized that the translator's challenge lies in how to convey the essence of the culture associated with the work. The translator must connect with that essence before the reader to present it in the best possible way. This requires establishing a special relationship between the translator and the author, where the translator can hear the author's voice clearly and speak with that voice in the translation, she added. (MORE)
Source: Qatar News Agency