Preserving Rhyme in Poetry Translation: The Translation of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 146 to Arabic as a Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69760/aghel.026002006Keywords:
Translation studies, Literary translation, Poetry translation, preserving rhyme in poetry translation, ShakespeareAbstract
Poetry translation demonstrates a significant obstacle, which lies in seeking a balance between aesthetic elements such as rhyme and rhythm and thematic and linguistic fidelity. This study examines the impact of a rhyme-driven translation approach on achieving textual fluency, taking Arabic translations of Shakespearean poetry as a case study. The research combines qualitative textual analysis with quantitative empirical data in order to examine how rhyme preservation influences translation choices, employing a mixed-method approach. Findings reveal that prioritising rhyme while integrating domestication, literalism, adaptation, covert and overt translation, and foreignisation results in a natural and fluent target text, depending on the translator's literary and linguistic capabilities. Empirical results further confirm this fluency, as 68.41% of participants expressed that they perceived the translation as an original Arabic poem. These insights contribute to the literature on poetry translation strategies, demonstrating that a hybrid translation approach can effectively preserve both the aesthetic and structural integrity of the original.
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