Translating Postmodern Literary Terminology into Arabic

The study examined the strategies of translating English occurrences of deconstructive terminology into Arabic. To this end, Deconstruction as a thought and practice was introduced- evoking implications to translation theory. Deconstruction applications in Arabic were reviewed along with examples from Arabic literary criticism. The study took the relevant terms from Jacques Derrida’s works. Taking only professional translators, the study considered the Arabic different translations of these terms. A comparison was drawn between the terms and their Arabic translations. The translations were, then, studied and analyzed-focusing on the strategies utilized. Results showed that there is a wide divergence between the various translations. The fact that some renderings are somewhat intelligible enough and others are dissatisfying is attributed to whether the term in question was studied in its cultural context. Most of the renderings, however, accounted for at least one of the meanings each term abounds with. Interpretation as a translation strategy was found to be the most convenient procedure in dealing with Derrida’s terms. This strategy requires giving an equivalent and glossing it with as much information as possible.