Investigating the Impact of Stylistic Amplification in Urdu Translation of Bapsi Sidhwa’s English Novel
Keywords:
Stylistic Amplification, Urdu Translation, The Crow Eaters, Translation Fidelity, Molina and Albir, Mona BakerAbstract
This paper examines the aspect of stylistic amplification in the Urdu translation of The Crow Eaters by Bapsi Sidhwa, translated by Umer Memon as Jungle Wala Sahib. The article draws upon the amplification strategy by Luisa Molina and Amparo Hurtado Albir (2002), as well as Mona Baker’s theory of narrative in the study of how stylistic options influence the faithfulness of translation in literary work. Applying a comparative textual analysis of selected passages, the paper refers to several instances in which neutral or emotionally charged narrative devices in the original text are transformed into explicitly emotionally charged or ideology-laden expressions in the Urdu version. The results indicate that although amplification can be successfully used to improve readability and cultural relevance to the Urdu audience, it is likely to overemphasize the personalities of characters and the tone of the story, thereby altering the stylistic nature of the original work. The research will contribute to the broader discussion of the ethical questions surrounding translation and literary style, specifically how much or how little of the story a translator should alter to adapt it across languages and cultures.
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