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Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 21:6 June 2021
Ibrahim AL Semeiri and Krishnavanie Shunmugam
The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 98
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Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 Vol. 21:6 June 2021
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The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams
into English
Ibrahim AL Semeiri
i.b.m.alsemeiri@hotmail.com
Universiti Malaya
Krishnavanie Shunmugam
krishnav@um.edu.my
Universiti Malaya
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Abstract
This study is focused on the translation of hedges from Arabic into English in Ghassan
Kanafani’s novel entitled Rijal fi Ashams (1962). The novel was translated into English by
Hilary Kilpatrick in 1998 as Men in the Sun. The data was selected from all seven chapters of
the novel in the original and translated version. The two main objectives of this study are to:
(i) identify the translation procedures employed when translating the Arabic hedges into
English and, (ii) examine the elements that come into play when translating the Arabic hedges
into English. The translation procedures proposed by Vinay and Darbelnet are used to identify
the type of procedures used by the translator in rendering the Arabic hedges into English. The
findings of the study have shown that firstly, the translator tends to use oblique translation
procedures in transferring most of the hedges from Rijal fi Ashams. The only direct translation
procedure Kilpatrick uses is literal translation where several hedges in both languages have the
same language function. Secondly, elements that influence the translation procedure include
linguistic differences, the translator’s preference and cultural differences between Arabic and
English. It is cultural differences that clearly affect the degree of commitment expressed by
some hedges in both languages.
Keywords: Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams, hedge, literary translation, English, Arabic.
1.1 Introduction
Hedges have existed as long as language itself, but the notion of a hedge is yet to be
completely defined. Hedges have been systematically studied across various disciplines and
genres for more than 45 years, but researchers’ views are varied about this linguistic device.
Several both narrow and broad definitions of hedges are available and there are several
opinions as to what type of language elements function as hedges. Thus, there is no one
comprehensive and precise taxonomy of hedges. However, most research on hedging attempt
to understand this phenomenon by identifying its range of functions in a discourse.
The term ‘hedges’ was first used by Lakoff (1972, p.194) to mean words which make
things more or less fuzzy. House and Kasper (1981) define hedges as words or phrases which
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Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 21:6 June 2021
Ibrahim AL Semeiri and Krishnavanie Shunmugam
The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 99
are written or uttered intentionally to protect one’s public self-image. In other words, hedges
are words or phrases that present the speaker a way of escape to avoid losing respect in front
of an audience or critic. According to Hubler (1983), hedges are particularly used to increase
the demand of the utterance, to be more tolerable to the discusser and thus raise the possibility
of acceptance and decrease the chances of refusal. This may clarify the actual function of
hedging as the position of the speaker trying to protect him/herself from probable denial from
the listener/audience.
Coates (1987) highlights that hedging is a frequent phenomenon in daily conversation
which aids in facilitating communication to show politeness or hide a lack of information. The
concept of hedging also refers to certain words that one can use to avoid making promises or
which can be used in an utterance to prevent the utterance from being considered as completely
true or false. Crompton (1997) states that hedges maintain the degree of confidence of the
writer in the proposal and display the extent of precision of the statement; the caution in relation
to the degree of commitment helps to evade mistakes.
Hedges are linguistic forms such as ‘I think’, ‘may be’ and ‘perhaps’ which show the
speaker’s certainty or uncertainty about any subject under discussion (Coates, 2004, p. 88).
Falahati (2006) and Vold (2006) concede that hedges are used not only to mitigate a statement
made but also to persuade and affect the reader. Gunnarsson (2009) posits those hedges are
forms of euphemism to deceive someone or to say something indirectly and to create distraction
between speakers. Al Taweel, Saidat, et.al, (2011) explain that hedging is a rhetorical strategy
where particular words are deliberately constructed in a specific way by a speaker/writer to
signal a lack of full commitment. Coates (2004) points this out especially in political debates
where hedging is very likely consciously used to reduce responsibility.
From the definitions above, it can be safely concluded that hedges are ambiguous
expressions/phrases or words that aid a speaker to avoid giving a direct answer and they are
strategies that the speaker can use to mitigate commitment or responsibility in order to protect
him/herself and his/her face.
Hedges have been studied in language used in various fields like medicine, chemistry,
economics, and politics (Hyland 1996, 2000; de Figueiredo-Silva 2001; Falahati 2006; Clemen
2002; Cameron 2003; Recski 2005; Šinkūnienė 2008; Buitkienė 2008;). Hedges have been
studied in rhetorical sections of a text, for example, in introductions (Hyland 1996; Salager-
Meyer 1997; Falahati, 2006) and in the context of politeness in scientific articles (Myers 1989),
politeness in media writing (Wibowo and Yusoff 2014) and, politeness patterns in relation to
gender (Holmes, 1995; Falahati, 2006; Makejeva 2017).
1.2 The Translation Procedures of Vinay and Darbelnet
Vinay and Darbelnet (1958/2000) state that because of the structural and metalinguistic
parallelisms that occur between any two languages, a translator needs to use a range of
procedures to get across the source language message effectively into the target language.
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Ibrahim AL Semeiri and Krishnavanie Shunmugam
The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 100
Vinay and Darbelnet divide their translation procedures into direct procedures which include:
(a) borrowing (b) calque and (c) literal translation, and oblique translational procedures which
comprise: (a) transposition, (b)modulation (c) equivalence and (d) adaptation. Below are the
definitions of these procedures:
1. Borrowing is the transference of a certain word for example, a cultural concept from
the source language into the target language.
2. Calque is when you transfer an expression or phrase from the source language
literally into the target language.
3. Literal translation is considered as word for word grammatical translation.
4. Transposition involves all kinds of grammatical shifts for example, the change of the
word class or passive to active voice etc., without changing the meaning in the source text.
5. Modulation denotes rendering a source text idea from a different point of view in the
target text.
6. Equivalence is the reformulation of a source language phrase or expression in the
target language with specific reference to titles of movies/books, clichés, idioms and
onomatopoeic sounds.
7. Adaptation is when cultural references in the source language are substituted by
equivalent references which are more appropriate in the culture of the target language.
1.3 Data
The data used in this study on hedging is taken from a Palestinian novel entitled Rijal
fi Ashams which was written in 1962 by the well-known author Ghassan Kanafani (1936-1972)
and published in 1963. Kanafani’s novel which was written in Arabic was translated into
English in 1998 by Hilary Kilpatrick as Men in the Sun and published in 1999. The novel is a
piece of resistance literature which depicts some of the real-life experiences of the author as a
Palestinian refugee. Kanafani’s works are influential in shaping modern Arab literature and he
continues to be regarded as a major writer in Palestinian literature.
Both the Arabic novel and its English translation consist of seven chapters. The story revolves
around the individual tales of four men who journey together hidden in a lorry by an army man.
The four men have one united purpose that is to escape from the sufferings in Palestine and to
find a fresh start to their lives in Kuwait.
1.4 Hyland’s Typology (1998)
In order to identify hedging expressions in the original Arabic novel and its English
translation, the taxonomy proposed by Hyland (1998) is used. Hyland (2005) perceives hedges
as a form of metadiscourse directing readers on how to evaluate propositions. He also sees
them as devices employed by writers to introduce a proposal as an opinion rather than a fact
(Hyland, 1998).
There are two major reasons for using Hyland’s taxonomy over those proposed by other
scholars. Firstly, unlike other taxonomies, Hyland’s emphasizes on parts of speech which
function as hedges. Secondly, his taxonomy is more organized and thus, it is easier to
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Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 21:6 June 2021
Ibrahim AL Semeiri and Krishnavanie Shunmugam
The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 101
distinguish the different type of hedges, which makes it more practical than other taxonomies.
The present study therefore uses Hyland’s taxonomy for the categorization of hedges. Hyland’s
(1998: 103–155) study on formal aspects of hedging consists of the following hedging
types/categories:
1. Lexical verbs with an epistemic meaning: this type includes verbs expressing what Hyland
(1998: 120) refers to as epistemic judgement, that is, verbs of assumption (e.g. suggest, believe)
and deduction (e.g. conclude, infer) as well as verbs conveying evidentiary justification which
express the degree of the author’s commitment (e.g. seem, appear (1998: 125);
2. Modal verbs used epistemically e.g., may, might, must, should;
3. Modal adverbs for instance, probably, possibly, potentially, apparently including so-
called down toners e.g., quite, fairly;
4. Modal adjectives e.g., possible, potential, likely, unlikely, apparent and nouns e.g.
possibility.
1.5 Data Analysis and Findings
This paper reports part of a larger study where the data comprised 43 hedge forms from
a total of 79 hedges garnered from 67 sentences from 7 chapters of both the Arabic novel, Rijal
fi Ashams and its English translation. The study only selected 43 hedges for its analysis as the
other 36 samples are repetitions of the same type of hedge. The 43 hedges were first categorized
using Hyland’s taxonomy of hedges which are divided into lexical verbs; modal verbs; modal
adverbs; modal adjectives and modal nouns. There were no hedges that were identified in the
form of modal adjectives and modal nouns from the data. The table below shows the number
of hedges found under each of the three other categories and the percentage of hedges analysed
in the study this paper is based on.
Table 1: Hedges identified in the ST and TT
Hyland’s
Typology of
Hedges
Hedges analyzed
Total no. of
hedges
identified in
each category
Percentage of hedges
analyzed
Lexical verbs
9
15
60%
Modal verbs
29
57
50.9%
Modal adverbs
5
7
71.4%
Total
43
79
54.4%
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Ibrahim AL Semeiri and Krishnavanie Shunmugam
The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 102
The procedures used in translating the 43 Arabic hedges into English were based on
Vinay’s and Darblenet’s (1958/2000) list of translation procedures. The analysis on the
procedures showed up the following results:
Table 1: Frequency of translation procedures used to convey the Arabic hedges
into English
Translation
Procedures
No. of Hedges
translated using the
procedure
Percentage
Equivalence
24
55.8%
Transposition
5
11.6%
Adaptation
1
2.3%
Modulation
2
4.6%
Literal
11
25.5%
Total
43
100%
It is clear from the above findings that Kilpatrick used the equivalence procedure
(55.8%) the most when transferring the hedges in Arabic into English. This was followed by
literal translations (25.5%).
This paper will present 8 representative samples of hedges which comprise 2 lexical
verbs, 3 modal verbs and 3 modal adverbs The discussion in this paper will focus on first,
describing the type of translation procedure used for each hedge and second, the factors that
influence the choice of the translation procedures. Each sample discussed in this paper will
include the source text (ST), a transliteration of the Arabic ST, a back translation (BT) of the
ST, and the target text (TT).
1.5.1 Lexical Verbs
Lexical verbs are considered as the main verb or full verb and all verbs are lexical verbs
except helping/auxiliary verbs. Linguistically, lexical verbs are classified as open class verbs
and convey semantic meaning or an epistemic meaning which can convey deductions like
conclude, infer and epistemic judgements for e.g., think, suggest, as well as verbs used in
reporting findings which reflect the author’s commitment towards the findings for e.g. verbs
of perception like look, appear, seem.
Sample 1
ST:
Transliteration: yabdo anaho lan yastati’a ikhtiraq alhijab alkathief men khaibat
alamal alathi artaf’a doonh wadoon thalik alsho’oor almoltaf a’la nafseh fi makan ma
fi ra’seh.
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Ibrahim AL Semeiri and Krishnavanie Shunmugam
The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 103
Back translation: It seems that he would not be able to penetrate the thick veil of
disappointment that separated him from that distinct feeling whish existed,
unexpressed, somewhere in his mind.
TT: It seemed he would not be able to penetrate the thick veil of disappointment
that separated him from that distinct feeling which existed, unexpressed , somewhere
in his mind.
In the above example, the hedge in the ST is (yabdo anaho lan
yastati’a, it seems that he would not be able to) and it expresses an epistemic meaning which
refers to prediction and expectation of what will happen in the future depending on the
speaker’s intuition and level of experience concerning the matter. The use of
is to announce to the reader that this is the author’s judgment, and this may or may not happen
in the future and at the same time it gives him the space to be free from any criticism. The
speaker is thus not taking full responsibility for his words. ‘It seemed he would not be able’
in the TT likewise conveys the same intent which is predicting and expecting.
The sample here is a compound with multiple hedges which means the presence of
more than one hedge within the same utterance, and this is referred to as a “harmonic
combination” (Halliday 1970: 331, Coates 1983: 45). The first hedge in the ST is a present
simple ‘’ which refers to an uncertainty but in the second hedge ‘’ which consists
of a particle’ ‘+ a present simple’ ’, the construction refers to something which may
or may not happen in the future. In Arabic, when the particle precedes a present simple verb,
it indicates a future tense. Like the ST, the TT too has two hedges: the first, is ‘seemed’ which
is considered as a lexical verb and ‘would not be able’ which is classified as a modal verb,
and both of these hedges refer to uncertainty and carry an epistemic meaning.
When we analyze the entire utterance, it is clear that Kilpatrick has also used a literal
translation to allow the target audience to fully understand what is intended by the original text.
In the TT phrase ‘It seemed he would not be able’, Kilpatrick has used a past verb ‘seemed’
to render the present simple‘’. This is a grammatical transposition. The translator has
likewise used another grammatical transposition to translate ‘would not be able’ because it
refers to the past but the hedge in the ST ‘ ’ is in the present simple tense, so the
translator has changed the tense to match the first hedge which was translated as ‘seemed’. In
this example, culture does not affect the translation but due to a difference in the tense system
between Arabic and English, grammatical transpositions have taken place in the overall literal
rendition in the TT.
Sample 2
ST:
Transliteration: yabdo li annaka falastini aanta alathi syatwlaa tahribina.
Back translation: You seem to me to be a Palestinian. Are you the one who’s
undertaking to smuggle us?
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The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 104
TT: You seem to me to be a Palestinian. Are you the one who’s undertaking to
smuggle us?
In Sample 2, ‘’ (yabdo li annaka, seems to me) is used as a hedge in the ST to
express guessing or expecting something based on some information or certain signs. It is used
in the Arabic language to avoid responsibility about what is said and also to be polite and gentle
when making a judgment. The hedge here consists of a present simple ‘’ + pronoun ‘’ (li,
mine) + another pronoun ‘’ (annaka, you). This structure is usually used to make judgments
or predictions based on clues noticed by the user of the hedge. In such a hedge, the certainty
and the commitment are at the lowest degree because it merely depends on a subjective
judgment. The use of the translated hedge ‘you seem to me’ is similar to the hedge in the ST,
and both the ST and TT refer to the lack of full commitment in the words uttered. This utterance
gives the speaker the opportunity to retract his judgment if it is necessary or when he realizes
that it is a false prediction. Both the ST and TT hedges are in the present simple tense. The two
hedges in both versions share the same meaning, function and even structure. It is therefore
easy for the translator to translate the original hedge lexically and grammatically: the translator
has used a word for word or literal procedure to carry across the expression of a low
commitment in the speaker’s words.
1.5.2. Modal verbs
Modal verbs are represented in the following auxiliary verbs: may, should, could, might,
will, can, would, shall and must. According to Hofmann (1966), modals can be divided into
two categories according to the meanings they express which are root or epistemic meanings.
Root meanings modify the surface structure of the subject which could be used to express
ability, obligation and violation. By contrast, epistemic meanings of modal verbs can show the
speaker’s attitude, state of knowledge, belief, and opinion about the proposition.
Sample 3
ST: “”
Transliteration: “Itha hajamook iqithoni kad akoon tha nifh”
Back translation: “If they attack you wake me up perhaps I will help you.
TT: “If they attack you, wake me; I maybe of some use”.
In the above example, the hedging device in the Arabic language ‘’ (kad akoon,
may be) consists of two words that is ‘kad’ and ‘akoon’. ‘Kad’ is a particle which does not
have a precise meaning and cannot stand alone without a verb and depends on the kind of verb
that comes after it. When ‘kad’ is followed by a past simple verb it indicates certainty, but
when it is followed by a present simple verb it indicates uncertainty and there is no full
commitment in the words uttered. The function of the structure ‘kad akoon’ (maybe) in a
present simple construction conveys an implicit promise to give a helping hand but there is no
full commitment to the promise made. The listener/reader hearing/reading such a promise will
not expect full responsibility from the speaker/writer. The hedge in the TT ‘maybe’ has the
same function as ‘kad akoon’ and nearly the same meaning.
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The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 105
Kilpatrick uses equivalence to translate the Arabic hedge phrase ‘kad akoon’ to
maintain a similar function and effect on the target audience. The structure, however, is
completely different because there is no particle like ‘kad’ in English and there is no category
called modal verbs in Arabic. As such, the translator uses the literal procedure to translate the
overall context, which is made evident by the back translation, but the hedge itself is translated
with an equivalent in English. The Arabic hedge, ‘kad + present simple verb’ indicates
uncertainty, but at the same time it promises relatively more commitment than the English
hedge ‘maybe’. Here, the cultural differences between Arabic and English affect the degree
of commitment expressed by ‘kad akoon’ and ‘maybe’.
Sample 4
ST:
Transliteration: saiakoon bosa’ina ann noalem Qais, wakad nashtary irq zaitoon
awo ithnin warobama nabny ghorfa fi makan ma ajal itha wasalt, itha wasalt.
Back translation: We will have the ability in the future to teach Qais. Yes, and we
may buy one or two olive shoots. Of course, we perhaps will have the opportunity to
build a room somewhere if I arrive, if I arrive.
TT: We’ll be able to send Qais. Yes, and perhaps buy one or two olive shoots. Of
course, may be we’ll be able to build a shack somewhere certainly if I arrive, if I
arrive.
In Sample 4, we can find triple hedging in the ST while the TT has quadruple hedging.
The three hedges in the ST are ‘ ’, ‘’ and ‘’ and the four in the TT
are we will be able, perhaps, may be and will be able to. In the first hedge ‘’
(saiakoon bosa’ina, we will have the ability) the verb that denotes the future in Arabic is the
letter ‘’ (sa) which means ‘will’ in the TT and it is attached to present verb, ‘’. This
construction in the ST means that the speaker will have the chance to do something in the near
future but he is not sure about this because anything may happen in the future and no one can
be certain about it. In contrast, in English, the verb that indicates the future (‘will’) is
independent of the present verb but provides nearly the same meaning and function, so both
hedges in the ST and TT evoke the same effect on the readers despite having completely
different structures.
In the second hedge, ‘’ (kad nashtary, may buy) consists of the particle kad
and a present simple which begins with the letter ‘’ ‘na’; the present simple denotes the future
if we add ‘na’ at the initial position. This structure does not exist in the TT, so the translator
has used the hedge ‘perhaps’ which aids in retaining the intent. The translator has thus
employed an equivalent hedge in the TT to convey this ST hedge.
In the third hedge ‘’ (robama, perhaps), the translator has used the literal
procedure. This ST hedge implies that the possibility of the action happening is slim and this
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Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 21:6 June 2021
Ibrahim AL Semeiri and Krishnavanie Shunmugam
The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 106
can be understood from the back translation. In contrast, ‘maybe’ in the TT expresses a fairly
good chance of the thing happening. The translator being aware of this cultural difference
between Arabic and English adds an extra fourth hedge to provide a better understanding of
the whole context.
While the first hedge in Arabic is close enough in form and function to the English
hedge, the second Arabic hedge is completely different in form but has a close equivalent in
English that carries a near synonymous meaning. As for the third hedge in Arabic, it is different
from the English one owing to different levels of commitment expressed and this owing to a
cultural factor. When hedges in the source and target language do not share the same degree of
tentativeness because of culture, the translator may need to add a hedge to get across a more
accurate understanding of the level of commitment and certainty intended by the source author
as seen in this sample.
Sample 5
ST:
Transliteration: bewsa’ka ann takhoth makani ba’da ann tasstarih kalila… kad
astatia’ ann aosa’edika ala upoor markaz alhodood al Iraqi… satasil honak fi althaniah
ba’da muntasaf allil wa sayakoon almasooloona niama.
Back translation: you will have the ability to take my place after you take a little rest.
I may be able to help you to cross the Iraqi’s frontier. You will arrive there at twelve
o’clock after midnight, and the officials will be asleep.
TT: You can take my place when you’ve had little rest, I may be able to help you
cross the Iraqi frontier……and the officials will be asleep.
In Sample 5, we see a reversed situation from Sample 4 as the ST shows the use of three
hedges while in TT, only two hedges are used. The first hedge in the ST ‘’ (kad asttia’,
may be able to) consists of the particle kad + present simple as seen in Samples 3 and 4. Due
to linguistic differences between Arabic and English (which were earlier mentioned in the
discussions on the last two samples), the translator cannot retain the same structure but is able
to replicate the function of the first hedge in the ST by finding an equivalent match in the target
language.
As for the second hedge in the ST ‘’ the translator has decided to omit it very
possibly to avoid awkwardness in the construction due to a cultural difference. The back
translation of the ST makes it evident that target reader comprehensibility has been prioritized
at this juncture. In the last hedge ‘’ (sayakoon, will be) the letter sa expresses a future
tense but in this example the future tense is used as a letter attached to the present simple,
‘ ’ ) whereas in the TT structure the modal verb ‘will’ is separate from the verb.
This is a linguistic difference which the translator easily solves with a grammatical shift or
transposition. To reiterate, the translator has used equivalence to transfer the first hedge,
omission for the second hedge and transposition for the third hedge in order to get across the
source author’s intent.
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Ibrahim AL Semeiri and Krishnavanie Shunmugam
The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 107
1.5.3 Modal Adverbs
Modal adverbs are the expressions or particles that reflect the mood or attitude of the
speaker and it used to increase or decrease the degree of certainty and the level of commitment.
For example, modal adverbs like perhaps, probably, definitely and likely can be used to express
different degrees of confidence or levels of responsibility in particular situations and signal if
something will happen or not.
Sample 6
ST:
Transliteration: hal mashaita katheeran ? lasto adree robama arba’ saa’at.
Back translation: Have you walked a lot? I don’t know perhaps four hours.
TT: Have you walked a lot? I don’t know. Four hours perhaps.
In Sample 6, the hedge in the SL ‘’ (robama, may be) consists of two fragments
and (roba and ma) which make up one word which means ‘may be’ or ‘perhaps.’ It used in
an Arabic utterance when one wishes to evade certainty in order to escape from responsibility.
In other words, the function of ‘’ is to mitigate and to give oneself the chance to retreat from
what one has said or written. The translated hedge in the target language is perhaps which is
considered as a modal adverb. In English, ‘perhaps’ is used to show that something is possible
or that you are not certain about something; it can also be used when one does not wish to be
too definite or assertive in the expression of an opinion. Clearly, both the hedges fully share
the same meaning and function and imply a nearly similar degree of responsibility and
commitment. As such, the translator has used a literal procedure to translate the hedge. The
only difference is the position of hedge. In the ST, it is in the middle of the sentence but in the
TT, the hedge is at the end. This is merely a preference of the translator as ‘perhaps’ in English
could come in the front, mid or end position. The equivalent robama in Arabic, likewise, can
be used in all three positions.
Sample 7
ST: .
Transliteration: qol laho ann yatrok albab maftohan allaho yabrod.
Back translation: Tell him to leave the oven door open I hope it will cool down.
TT: Tell him to leave the oven door open and perhaps it will cool down.
In the above example, the hedge in the ST ‘’ (allaho, I hope) is one of the
expressions which is used to show wishful thinking. In general, it expresses a hope that
something will happen in the future but in the above context, it can also be used to show
possibility. The translator evidently considers this hedge as an expression which reflects
possibility instead of hope and as such, translates allaho as perhaps which is an equivalent
term to the Arabic hedge in English.
Sample 8
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The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 108
ST:
Transliteration: kana alljawo raea’a wa hadiaa wa kanat alsamaa mazalat tabdoo
zaqaa tahoomo fiha hamamat sood a’la a’loo monkhafid.
Back translation: The weather was beautiful and calm and the sky seems to be blue,
with black pigeons hovering low in it.
TT: The weather was beautiful and calm and the sky still blue, with black pigeons
hovering low in it.
In this final example, the situation is different from the earlier examples because the ST
has a hedge ‘’ (tabdoo, seems) but in the English version there is none. The ST hedge here
functions within a descriptive context. The atmosphere and the weather are described to be
fine, but the writer also implies an uncertainty as to whether all is indeed fine with the use of
tabdoo/seems. The translator does not seem to fully understand the tone of uncertainty evoked
by the source author here and she therefore omits it. Here is a case of an Arabic hedge which
is possibly tricky for the translator because in the culture of the native English speaker like
Kilpatrick, a description of weather is referred to in very certain terms at a specific point in
time. If the sky is blue at the point when a native English speaker is looking at it, then it is blue
and cannot be seemingly so as the expression in the Arabic context suggests. This possibly
points to a cultural difference between the two languages which the English translator
overcomes via omission to avoid any confusion in the target reader’s mind.
Conclusion
While there are hedges in Arabic and English that function in exactly the same way and
are structurally similar, there are also hedges in the Arabic linguistic system which are clearly
somewhat different in the degree of certainty, possibility or commitment expressed when
compared with their near equivalent hedge partners in English. This study revealed that
Kilpatrick, the translator, has mostly employed equivalences (for 24 hedges or 55.8%) when
transferring the Arabic hedges. Equivalences were used in instances where a hedge in Arabic
did not exist in the same form or when the degree of commitment expressed in an Arabic hedge
was slightly different from an English one due to cultural differences. This was seen in Sample
3 with the hedge ‘kad akoon’ which does not exist in English, and which was substituted with
the equivalent ‘may’. In Sample 4, equivalence is again used with the hedge kad + a present
simple verb which starts with ‘na’ as this morphological structure is non-existent in English
and, so the translator resorts to using ‘perhaps’ which is another near equivalent hedge. The
second most frequently used translation procedure was literal translation. This procedure was
used with 11 hedges (25.5%) and it was possible to translate literally as hedges like ‘yabdo
anaho lan yastati’a/it seems that he would not be able to’ discussed in Sample 1 exist
verbatim in English and carry the same intent or degree of certainty, possibility or commitment.
In some literal renderings of hedges from Arabic to English, shifts or transpositions had to be
made to produce structures that were grammatical in the target language. This happened in 5
instances (11.6%) of the total 43 hedges analysed. Finally, two other translation procedures
that were used are modulation (for 2 hedges, 4.6%) and adaptation (for 1 hedge, 2.3%). Both
of these show that very few hedges in Arabic needed to be expressed in a distinctly different
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Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 21:6 June 2021
Ibrahim AL Semeiri and Krishnavanie Shunmugam
The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English 109
form or point of view in English. In other words, the hedges used in Arabic taken from this
data were not markedly different from their counterparts in English.
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