'A Tale of Two Cities' in Arabic translation

This study investigates the problems translators encounter when rendering features of Dickens's style in A Tale of Two Cities into Arabic. Examples of these features are singled out and analyzed. Then, they are compared with their counterparts in published translations of the novel in Arabic. Analysis and comparison are focused on Muneer Al-Ba'albaki's translation as it is the only one that renders the novel completely. The comparisons depend on back translation to give non-readers of Arabic a clear idea about the similarities and differences between the source text and target one(s).;The features under focus are sound effects, figurative language, humor, repetition and the French element. The discussion dedicated to sound effects like onomatopoeia, alliteration and rhyme shows that there is no one to one correspondence between English and Arabic in reflecting these linguistic phenomena.;Rendering humor into Arabic shows the role context plays in facilitating the translator's task. When humor depends on background knowledge that the target text readers are not familiar with, a translator can use a humorous expression that conveys the function of its counterpart in different words. Another alternative could be rendering the humorous expression literally and using footnotes that provide the information necessary to understand humor.;Another topic in this study is discussing the novel as a metaphor of translation. Many aspects of the novel are comparable to the translation process. Various events portray the challenges and the risky atmosphere translators work in. Relationships among characters like Dr. Manette, Lucie, and Charles Darnay provide a perspective from which the relationship between authors, translators/readers, and text can be seen. Various tensions are involved in this relationship. The novel also includes scenes portraying inter-language communication. Some scenes give rise to humor. Others hint at the role feelings play in people's communication and grasping meaning. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...