In Arabic, we sometimes present information in a way that is different from that we do in English. For example, Arabic may present foreground information in a subordinate clause. Consider the subordinate clause in the following:
فتعالت ضحكات البنات ( بينما انفجر غضب فواز) , فكف عن السير واستدار ووقف منفرج القدمين وواجه الفتيات الأربع بعينين حانقتين متحديتين
Therefore, we will restructure the sentence in translation to be as follows:
When he heard the girls' laughter, (Fawas exploded with rage). He stopped, spun around, and stood, glaring furiously at the four young women.
Here, the translator has reversed the subordination structure of the phrase فتعالت ضحكات البنات ( بينما انفجر غضب فواز) . The main Arabic clause فتعالت ضحكات البنات has been converted into an English subordinate clause 'When he heard the girls' laughter', while the subordinate clause 'بينما انفجر غضب فواز' has been converted into an English main clause, 'Fawas exploded with rage'.
The effect of this is to foreground the information conveyed by 'Fawas exploded with rage', and thus produce a more natural-sounding rendering than that of the more literal translation.
Other cases:
Consider the translations of the information in brackets:
صادف د. طه حسين العديد من المحن والعقبات كان أولها فقدان البصر وهو مازال طفلا (ولكنه لم ييأس أبدا إلى أن وصل إلى أعلى الدرجات) . ز
First Translation
However, he never despaired until he reached the pinnacle of scholarly achievement.
Second Translation
However, he never despaired, and ultimately he reached the pinnacle of scholarly achievement.
Commentary
The first translation gives an entirely different sense to that intended by the Arabic; it suggests that when Taha Hussein reached the pinnacle of scholarly achievement he despaired. This is because the information contained in the phrase 'until he reached the pinnacle of scholarly achievement' qualifies - i.e. limits the validity of - the information contained in the main clause 'he never despaired'.
The limitation does not obtain when the coordination conjunction 'and' is used instead of the subordinating 'until'.
Thus, the second translation retains the intended sense of the Arabic ST.
The first translation gives an entirely different sense to that intended by the Arabic; it suggests that when Taha Hussein reached the pinnacle of scholarly achievement he despaired. This is because the information contained in the phrase 'until he reached the pinnacle of scholarly achievement' qualifies - i.e. limits the validity of - the information contained in the main clause 'he never despaired'.
The limitation does not obtain when the coordination conjunction 'and' is used instead of the subordinating 'until'.
Thus, the second translation retains the intended sense of the Arabic ST.
