Imagology and Cultural Translation: How Are Images of Arab Youth Constructed and Translated?

Abstract

In this paper, we aim to explore the usefulness of imagology as a working method as far as cultural translation is concerned. The significance of the study lies in investigating how imagology may help translators as cultural mediators understand discursive and representational conventions. To this end, we attempt to analyse the content of some English online articles randomly selected and their Arabic translation based on imagological approaches. The findings reveal that depictions of young Arabs vary according to the underlying contexts. They are often characterised by overgeneralisations, ingrained stereotypes and broad prejudices. Society, religion, and Arab Spring movements often influence youth representations. Contextual and textual analyses as part of imagological approaches play a central role in the selection, understanding, decision-making, and reception stages. Imagological tools can explain and highlight textual, discursive, semantic, representational, and translational choices as well as functions and characteristics of various imagotypes and topos.

Keywords

• Arab youth
• Cultural translation
• Imagology
• Representation
• Stereotype