Translating genderism, a way of manipulating gender norms

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Candidate of Translation Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Foreign Language and Literature, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran,

Abstract

Genderism is a segregating ideology that unfairly divides society into two groups of “inferior” and “superior” merely based on one’s sex. Sociocultural norms are accordingly assigned and although societies agree on its discrimination, they sometimes diverge in their perspectives when dealing with it; thus, its intercultural transmission can be challenging. The present paper aims to investigate the translation of genderism from English to Persian in a case study, a novel that has deliberately been developed on gender biased concepts. Sidney Sheldon’s best-seller, The Stars Shine Down, was found eligible, whose Persian Translation was Parvaneh Ahanin by Sharaf-Aldin Sharafi (1988). Based on a CDA framework, sexist data were extracted from ST and then compared with their translations. The results revealed that TT and ST diverged greatly regarding their expression of genderism, which ultimately had modified the main intention of the ST (provoking independency and development of a “feminine” identity in females). The translation choices had turned the TT into a domesticated adaptation of the ST in favor of patriarchal agendas. While ST encourages change in culture, TT preserves the target society from possible cultural inconveniences.

Keywords

References

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International Journal of Women's Research
Volume 3, Issue 2
October 2014
Pages 217-240

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