Arabization or Domestication? Case Study of Information Structure Shift in Aphorisms

Abstract

Al-Hikam aphorism is a descriptive factual genre in which the patterns of the text structure are distinctive and aesthetic. The structure of the information facilitates the linear pattern to be arranged in any micro manner. The structured information may have various themes (topical, textual, and interpersonal). The aphorisms, which are originally Arabic, have been translated into English. This study investigates the techniques, methods, and ideology of al-Hikam English translation and the impact of the shift in thematic structure on the quality of translation. Using a qualitative design by utilizing Spradley model data analysis modified by Santosa (2021), this study suggests that al-Hikam aphorism translation has the tendency towards the target language with the ideology of domestication as seen from the translation techniques being used. The application of translation techniques also causes the phenomenon of thematic structures shift that affects the quality of translation. Therefore, textual competence must be understood by a translator.