Arabic-English Translator as Photographer

Ali Almanna has a PhD in Translation Studies from Durham University (UK) and MA in Linguistics and Translation from Westminster University (UK). Currently, he is the head of English department, Al-Zahra College for Women where he teaches Linguistics and Translation. His recent publications include The Routledge Course in Translation Annotation, Semantics for Translation Students and The Nuts and Bolts of Arabic-English Translation.Khaled Al-Shehari is Assistant Professor at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. He holds an MSc (1998) and a PhD (2001) in Translation Studies from the University of Manchester, UK. He has published articles in The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, Translation Studies in the New Millennium, and edited collections.

• ContentsAcknowledgements Note on TransliterationList of abbreviations Chapter 1: Setting the scene: introductory matters Who is the book for? Why is it different? Structure of the book Hypotheses & research questions Significance of the book Theoretical background Key technical terms Warming up exercisesFurther readingChapter 2: Signs & syntagmatic and paradigmatic axesSemioticsSignified versus signifier Syntagms and paradigmsCommutation testKey technical terms ExercisesFurther readingChapter 3: Sign's functions & intertextualityPeirce’s interpretive semiotics Iconic functionIndexical functionSymbolic functionIntertextualityKey technical terms ExercisesFurther readingChapter 4: Transitivity system Transitivity Material processes Mental processes Verbal processesBehavioural processesRelational processesExistential ProcessesCircumstancesKey technical terms ExercisesFurther readingChapter 5: Semantic roles and energy transfer Arguments & types of semantic rolesVerb-specific semantic rolesGrammatical relations and semantic roles Energy transfer & mental contact Key technical terms Exercises Further readingChapter 6: Imaging systems I: The configurational system PlexityState of boundednessState of dividednessDegree of extensionPattern of distributionAxialityScene partitioningKey technical terms ExercisesFurther readingChapter 7: Imaging systems II: attention, perspective & force dynamics Distribution of attentionForce dynamicsDeployment of perspectiveLocationDistanceModeDirectionKey technical terms ExercisesFurther readingIndex

It is a useful book with clear definitions, practical examples, and insightful summary questions. It will be most welcome for those willing to ground their intuitions on translation on more solid linguistic foundations.– Qing Cao, Durham University, UKA masterful book that offers a rich, profound and distinctive study on translation. Invaluable and very practical for students, instructors and researchers who regularly deal with the translation of various kinds of texts between Arabic and English. Through relating linguistics to translation, the authors are shedding light on the multidimensional and interdisciplinary aspect of translation and on the fundamental dynamics that underlie the constant evolution of translation studies.– Andree Affeich, Lebanese American University, LebanonThe approach employed in The Arabic-English Translator as Photographer is novel and the application of the adopted theoretical concepts to explain the process of translation, as opposed to the traditional text-linguistic, discourse analysis or stylistic concepts, is challenging. The examples and explanations are quite appropriate and make life easier for the reader, be they learners, instructors or translators.– Raymond Chakhachiro, Western Sydney University, AustraliaThe Arabic-English Translator as Photographer is ground breaking and presents innovation in the field of translation as it introduces a detailed description of the processes involved in creating the mental image translators conjure in their minds in the process of translating. The book serves as a thorough yet accessible introduction to structural and interpretive semiotics, functional and cognitive grammar, semantics and cognitive linguistics. Hence, it is great resource for both students and researchers new to the field and scholars from neighbouring disciplines.– Ruba Khamam, University of Leeds, UK