The translator as an activist: reframing conflict in the Arabic translation of Sacco’s Footnotes in Gaza

ABSTRACT

This article employs narrative theory and discourse analysis to examine the translator’s paratextual influences in the Arabic translation of Joe Sacco’s graphic novel Footnotes in Gaza. We argue that the Palestinian translator sees himself as an activist who has a mission to reframe his people’s cause as a struggle for independence. We locate several patterns of interferences that aim to affect readers’ perception of the Palestinians and Israelis in Sacco’s recounting of the events of Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip in 1956. This study shows that the translator’s paratexts frame Palestinians as victims of Israeli occupation and heroes in their struggle against it. The translator ideologically embeds himself in the translation as he reinterprets certain representations of characters and historical events which respond to his political affiliations and the expectancy norms of his target Arab readers.

KEYWORDS:

• Joe Sacco
• graphic novels
• reframing the palestinian-Israeli conflict
• translator as an activist
• paratext in translation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. This and all subsequent back translations are ours.

2. Our use of the term ‘framing’ here differs from its use in the medium of graphic narrative. Whereas frames are a feature used by comic artists and graphic novelists as borders for each panel, in our essay, we use it in reference to Mona Baker’s narrative theory.

3. The interviews were conducted in Arabic. In this section we translate and summarize his comments and responses.

4. Fotuhat is the plural noun of the verb ‘open/فتح’ which indicates that Andalusia was made open to enlightenment and Islam. In Arabic it does not have the negative meaning of ‘occupation’ .

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Barkuzar Dubbati

Barkuzar Dubbati received her PhD from the University of George Washington in Washington DC. Her area of research is literary theory, popular fiction, cultural studies, and postcolonial literature. Dubbati’s most recent publication is ‘The Woman in Hijab as Freak: Super(Muslim)woman in Deena Mohamed’s Webcomic Qahera.’ She worked as a reporter and translator for Jordan TV from 2000 until 2004 and was awarded the Fulbright Doctoral Grant in 2006. She is currently an assistant professor of English at the University of Jordan.

Haneen Abudayeh

Haneen Abudayeh obtained her PhD in Translatology from the University of Caen-Lower Normandy in France. Her research interests center on translation, science of translation, discourse analysis, subjectivity and affectivity in language, theories of communication and construction of identities. Her most recent publication is the article ' Islamic State and reshaping the Middle East : War on Terrorism'. She is currently an assistant professor of French at the University of Jordan.