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Khalil Qasem Alkhadem

Abstract

Translating culturally-bound terms poses a significant challenge for professional translators, requiring a deep understanding of both linguistic and cultural elements, including linguistic taboos. This study analyzes the translation of linguistic taboos in the Yemeni novel The Handsome Jew by Ali Al-Muqri, identifying the strategies used to render taboo expressions and examining differences between Arabic and Western cultural taboos. It also proposes methods to improve their translation. A sample of eight taboo expressions was selected and analyzed in their English translations using Newmark’s (1988) translation strategies. Given the profound spiritual connection between Islam and its followers, the study highlights the vital role of religion and culture in translating taboo words. Translators must adapt texts to align with the target culture while respecting both languages' cultural nuances. The results show that the most frequent strategy was "taboo-for-taboo" substitution, followed by euphemism, omission, and replacement. Five types of linguistic taboos were identified: swearing, insults, sarcasm, derogatory tone, and slang. This research offers practical insights for translators, especially beginners, in handling taboo terms across texts.

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Keywords

translation, linguistic taboo, culture, strategies, Arab and Western culture

Section
Arabic Articles
How to Cite
[1]
Qasem Alkhadem, K.tran. 2025. A proposed Strategy for Translating Culture-Specific Taboos in Ali Al-Muqri’s the “Handsome Jew”. Journal of Social Studies. 31, 5 (Jun. 2025). DOI:https://doi.org/10.20428/jss.v31i5.2985.