Exploring Translation Strategies to Render Selected Euphemisms in “The Remains of the Day” and"بقايا اليوم": A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates translation strategies employed in the analysis of selected euphemisms from Ishiguro’s “The Remains of the Day” (1989) in Al-Shayeb’s Arabic version “بقايا اليوم” (2000). It aims to: (1) analyze the deliberate use of euphemisms in the source text; (2) examine the degree of acceptability of equivalent euphemisms in the target text; (3) explore the workability of Baker’s (2000) translation strategies at and above the word level; (4) identify the communicative functions of the euphemisms in the ST and TS; and (5) explain their cultural and social motivations. Forty euphemisms are excerpted, with ten representative cases analyzed qualitatively using Baker’s (2000) taxonomy and Leech’s (1983) politeness principle. The findings show that euphemism, as a literary tool, maintained social hierarchy and confirmed moral judgment in the source text. Moreover, euphemistic references to illness and death evoke emotions beyond the literal meaning of the written words. In the target text, many Arabic renderings succeeded in preserving the meaning and tone of the selected euphemisms through paraphrases, loanwords, superordinate terms, idioms, and collocations. However, other strategies such as illustration, omission, and de-euphemizing paraphrase weakened or cancelled the euphemistic effect and violated Leech’s politeness principle (1983). The study concludes that Baker’s model is workable for translating the literary tool euphemism in narratives, provided that careful attention to the politeness phenomenon and cultural expectations is specifically devoted. Moreover, comprehensive knowledge of English and Arabic rhetorical devices is a must-have requirement to accurately translate literary works. The study also recommends broader corpora and reader-based studies for future research.