Deconstruction within the Realm of Translation: Surpassing the Challenges encountered in the Translation of Idioms from Arabic to English

Abstract

Abstract: Deconstruction suggests that language is inherently in a process of change and that meaning is not static but is rather open to interpretation. Meanings are contingent upon context and the readers’ subjective interpretation and re-interpretation. In the translation sphere, deconstruction proffers a groundbreaking means of rethinking the basic concepts and traditional approaches regarding cultural translation in particular. This article centers around presenting a literature review which showcases the intersectionality of deconstruction and translation, and homing in on the theoretical frameworks and practices within the translation realm to explain the complexity engendered by the translation of idioms which has long drawn the attention of translators and scholars as this process entails unraveling the convolutions and multitudes of meanings present in these idioms which mirror the culture and identity of societies. Thus, our article is hinged upon a body of scholarly works demonstrating the impact of the French philosopher, Jacques Derrida’s 1960s philosophical theory on the craft of translation. The analysis of said scholarly works in addition to the qualitative assessment of the selected Algerian idioms in the empirical section of our article illustrate its ramifications on translation processes comprising the multiplicity of meanings, implying the possibility of having a myriad of possible interpretation challenging binary oppositions through which conventional linguistic structures and dynamics are contested and delving into the notion of untranslatability and how to circumnavigate it. Keywords : Deconstruction; Derrida ; Culture ; Idiom ; Translation.