Panorama of Self-Translation in The Arabic Literary Landscape

Abstract

The current research paper aims at shedding light on self-translation within the Arabic contemporary context, hence delving into a valuable research on the subject which is still not often tackled. This paper provides insight into the self-translation practice of Arab authors who have resorted to such atypical activity. The Algerian context will be given particular importance in order to define the circumstances and reasons that motivated some contemporary Algerian authors to translate their own writings and to embark on this highly challenging endeavor. Thus, our study will put the spotlight on the definition of the concept of self-translation, a brief overview of Arabic literature devoted to it, plus a typology of self-translation and the motives that invigorated this practice. We will then try - through the examination of some Arab self-translation experiences - to identify the characteristics of this practice within the Arab context, and thereby understand the points of divergence that distinguish the Algerian experience from that of other Arab authors, as well as the points of convergence on which these different practices come together.