Exploring the Invariant Core: An Analysis of Multiple Translations of a Selection from Iqbal’s Shikwah

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to explore the invariant core among thethree English translations of selected poetry from Iqbal’s Shikwah. Thestudy identifies that the complex nature of poetry makes it difficult for thetranslators to transfer the ST in terms of both content and form. Therefore,good poetry is translated not only once, but several times by differenttranslators with their different approaches and strategies. Accordingly,Iqbal’s Shikwah and Jawab -e- Shikwah is translated by three translators,including two foreign and one indigenous translator. This is a qualitativeresearch, and Viney and Darbelnet’s model of translational analysis wasused as it best suited the qualitative nature of the present research. Thestudy was delimited to the three selected translations of a stanza fromIqbal’s famous poem Shikwa rendered by the three translators Arbury,Singh, and Akhtar. The analysis of the translations has shown that inrendering the original text, the translators have used different proceduresand strategies which consequently resulted in various losses, specificallyin terms of form, however, the invariant core, which comprises both themeand tone, remains almost the same.

Keywords

• translation, poetry, invariant core, iqbal, shikwa, source text