Intercultural Competence in Literary Translation: Ali Al-Kasimi’s Arabic Translation of Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast as a Case Study

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a research study about the aspects of intercultural competence displayed in Ali Al-Kasimi’s Arabic translation of Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast. The study attempts to determine how intercultural competence is manifested in the Arabic translation of Ali Al-Kasimi. It also seeks to identify the strategies that the translator resorted to in the translation of 50 culture specific elements in the source text. The aim is to develop an understanding of the ways in which intercultural competence can be displayed in the translation of literary texts. In addition, the main strategies that were used by the translator in translating cultural terms will be highlighted, analysed and discussed. By doing so, a comprehensive understanding of how to implement intercultural competence-based strategies in the translation of literary texts can be derived. The results of the study suggest that cultural adaptation and reframing are the two most used intercultural competence-based translation strategies by the translator.