Uhawilishaji wa Utamaduni na Mwachano wake katika Tafsiri ya Fasihi: Tathmini ya Athari katika Maisha ya Siri na Hadithi Nyingine

Abstract

Swahili

Makala hii inachunguza uhawilishaji wa utamaduni katika tafsiri ya fasihi na jinsi unavyoathiri maana na ujumbe wa matini kwa hadhira lengwa. Utafiti unalinganisha matini chanzi Secret Lives and Other Stories na tafsiri yake ya Kiswahili Maisha ya Siri na Hadithi Nyingine. Utafiti ulitumia mkabala wa kimaelezo na uchanganuzi wa matini, ambapo dondoo tano zilizochaguliwa kimakusudi kutoka hadithi mbili, Mubenzi Tribesman (Mubenzi) na A Mercedes Funeral (Mazishi ya Benzi), zilichambuliwa ili kubainisha uhawilishaji wa vipengele vya kitamaduni kama nahau, taswira, marejeleo ya kijamii na istilahi za kiimani. Matokeo yanaonyesha kuwa baadhi ya dhana na taswira za kitamaduni zilipitia mabadiliko ya maana au kupoteza athari yake kutokana na ukosefu wa visawe vya moja kwa moja. Aidha, matumizi ya mikakati ya uenyejishaji na ugenishaji yalichangia ama kupunguza uzito wa kitamaduni wa matini chanzi au kurahisisha uelewekaji kwa wasomaji wa Kiswahili. Pia, marejeleo ya kihisia na mamlaka ya kijamii yalirekebishwa ili kuendana na utamaduni lengwa, jambo lililosababisha mwachano wa kidhima na kubadilika kwa athari ya ujumbe. Makala inahitimisha kuwa tafsiri ya fasihi ni mchakato wa uundaji upya wa utamaduni, ambapo maamuzi ya mtafsiri yanaweza kuhifadhi au kubadilisha mguso wa kitamaduni wa matini chanzi. Utafiti unapendekeza watafsiri kudumisha uwiano kati ya uelewekaji wa ujumbe na uhifadhi wa vipengele muhimu vya utamaduni ili kupunguza mwachano wa maana.

English

This article examines cultural transfer in literary translation and how it affects the meaning and message of a source text for the target audience. The study compares the source text, Secret Lives and Other Stories, with its Kiswahili translation, Maisha ya Siri na Hadithi Nyingine. The study adopted a descriptive approach and textual analysis, whereby five excerpts purposively selected from two stories, Mubenzi Tribesman (Mubenzi) and A Mercedes Funeral (Mazishi ya Benzi), were analysed to identify the transfer of cultural elements such as idioms, imagery, social references, and faith-related terminology. The findings show that some cultural concepts and images underwent shifts in meaning or loss of effect due to the lack of direct equivalents. In addition, the use of domestication and foreignization strategies either reduced the cultural weight of the source text or facilitated its accessibility to Kiswahili readers. Emotional references and representations of social authority were also adapted to suit the target culture, resulting in functional shifts and changes in the effect of the message. The article concludes that literary translation is a process of cultural reconstruction in which translators’ decisions may preserve or alter the cultural impact of the source text. The study recommends that translators maintain a balance between message accessibility and the preservation of essential cultural elements in order to minimise shifts in meaning.

Keywords: Cultural comparison, cultural untranslatability, cultural translation, functional equivalence, literary translation.