Translation in the Shadow of Confrontation

The atmosphere of hostility between Jews and Arabs which accompanied the establishment of the State of Israel cast a shadow over the cultural contacts between the two sides. As a result of the emotions engendered by the conflict, and the differences between the cultural discourse of the two sides, many found it difficult to take an objective view of the other side. The fact that Bialik, Agnon, and A.B. Yehoshua have been published in Arabic is evidence of a desire for dialogue. This book, however, describes how ideological considerations have dominated translation activity.

Translation in the Shadow of Confrontation examines the translation activity of modern Hebrew literature into Arabic. It focuses on the development, the status and the character of these translations in the first forty years of the existence of the State of Israel, and on the dominant norms which influenced translation before, during and after its execution. To this end dozens of translations of contemporary Hebrew fiction and poetry into Arabic which have appeared in various publications in Israel and the Arab world are analyzed.

Three areas of translation are discusssed, each of them unique from several points of view: the individuals and bodies involved in translation activity, the considerations which motivated them, and their translation policy. In the translation activity which took place in Israel in the 1950s and 1960s the involvement of elements in the establishment is pronounced. They aimed at translating into Arabic texts with a social and ideological character, and, therefore, chose works which reflected the Zionist consensus. They deleted parts of the text and added to it, and translated into Arabic with a high stylistic register. After 1967 translation activity in Israel was in the hands of independent organizations supported by the establishment. Most of the translators were faithful to the Hebrew text, used Hebrew in their translations, and related to Hebrew culture as a hegemonic culture. The defeat of 1967 led to an increase of interest in Israeli society, culture and literature in the Arab world. Most of the translators tried to use their work to expose the racist and propagandist character of Hebrew literature, as they saw it, and chose for translation texts whose content emphasized its alien character.