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Journals / Alman Dili ve Kültürü Araştırmaları Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 8 Sayı: 1

The Challenges of Translating Cultural Irony: A Case Study of the Arabic Translation of Günter Grass's The Tin Drum

Kültürel İroninin Çevirisindeki Zorluklar: Günter Grass'ın 'Teneke Trampet' Eserinin Arapça Çevirisi Üzerine Bir Durum Çalışması

Housseyn Halimi(university of tipaza)0009-0006-6529-8874
Pages
83–99
Publication Date
2026-06-29
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings contribute to the broader theoretical debate on the limits of equivalence in literary translation and call for greater critical attention to the Arabic reception of European modernist fiction, particularly works whose satirical and historical dimensions are inseparable from their cultural specificity

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This article investigates the translational challenges posed by cultural irony in Günter Grass's seminal novel The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel, 1959), with particular focus on its Arabic translation.
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Key Findings & Data:Drawing on theories of cultural untranslatability, irony theory, and postcolonial translation studies, the paper examines how the Arabic translator negotiates between fidelity to the source text's ironic register and the demands of the target cultural context.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings contribute to the broader theoretical debate on the limits of equivalence in literary translation and call for greater critical attention to the Arabic reception of European modernist fiction, particularly works whose satirical and historical dimensions are inseparable from their cultural specificity
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Kültürel ironi · Teneke Trampet · Arapça çeviri

Abstract

This article investigates the translational challenges posed by cultural irony in Günter Grass's seminal novel The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel, 1959), with particular focus on its Arabic translation. Drawing on theories of cultural untranslatability, irony theory, and postcolonial translation studies, the paper examines how the Arabic translator negotiates between fidelity to the source text's ironic register and the demands of the target cultural context. Through close comparative analysis of selected passages, three major categories of translational difficulty are identified: the domestication of Danzig's historically specific cultural markers, the attenuation of Grass's carnivalesque irony, and the neutralization of black humour rooted in German collective memory. The study argues that such transformations are not merely linguistic but ideological, reflecting divergent narrative conventions and distinct cultural horizons between the German and Arabic literary traditions. The findings contribute to the broader theoretical debate on the limits of equivalence in literary translation and call for greater critical attention to the Arabic reception of European modernist fiction, particularly works whose satirical and historical dimensions are inseparable from their cultural specificity

Özet

Bu makale, Günter Grass'ın başyapıtı Teneke Trampet'te (Die Blechtrommel, 1959) kültürel ironinin çevirisinde ortaya çıkan zorlukları, özellikle Arapça çeviri bağlamında ele almaktadır. Kültürel çevrilemezlik kuramları, ironi teorisi ve sömürge sonrası çeviri çalışmalarından yararlanan bu çalışma, Arapça çevirmenin kaynak metnin ironik söylemi ile hedef kültürel bağlamın talepleri arasında nasıl bir denge kurduğunu incelemektedir. Seçili pasajların yakın karşılaştırmalı analizi aracılığıyla üç temel çeviri güçlüğü kategorisi tespit edilmiştir: Danzig'e özgü tarihsel kültürel göstergelerin evcilleştirilmesi, Grass'ın karnavalvari ironisin zayıflatılması ve Alman kolektif belleğine dayanan kara mizahın etkisizleştirilmesi. Çalışma, bu dönüşümlerin yalnızca dilsel değil, aynı zamanda ideolojik nitelik taşıdığını ve Alman ile Arap edebi gelenekleri arasındaki farklı anlatı anlayışlarını yansıttığını ileri sürmektedir. Bulgular, edebi çeviride denklik kavramının sınırlarına ilişkin kuramsal tartışmaya önemli katkılar sunmakta ve özellikle tarihsel ve hiciv boyutları kültürel özgüllüklerinden ayrılamaz olan Avrupa modernist kurgunun Arapça alımlanmasına daha fazla eleştirel dikkat gösterilmesi gerektiğini vurgulamaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Halimi, H. (2026). The Challenges of Translating Cultural Irony: A Case Study of the Arabic Translation of Günter Grass's The Tin Drum. Alman Dili ve Kültürü Araştırmaları Dergisi, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 1, 83–99. https://doi.org/10.55143/alkad.1916743

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