Early View

Literary Translation as an Impediment to Intercultural Understanding: Perspectives from Translation Specialists and Interculturalists

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63939/ajts.yqgs6w92

Keywords:

Literary Translation, Procedures of Translating CSI, Cultural Knowledge, Intercultural Understanding, Equivalence & Untranslatability

Abstract

With the significant position culture has gained in translation studies, various assumptions have come to see literary translation in the light of intercultural communication, considering it a bridge and a facilitator for intercultural understanding. Drawing on the qualitative phase of an exploratory study, this article investigates this relationship through a thematic analysis of face-to-face and e-mail interviews conducted with a purposive sample of eight experts (n=8): four translation specialists and four intercultural specialists. The findings reveal expert perceptions that literary translation can sometimes widen the gap and stand as an obstacle for achieving successful intercultural communication between the source-language community and the target-language audience. As participants identified cultural knowledge as essential to intercultural understanding, they perceived that adopting domestication strategies and other procedures for translating culture-specific items (CSIs) (such as, omission, localization, transformation, and globalization) can contribute to the impediment of intercultural understanding by depriving the target-language audience of knowing and discovering the culture of the source-language community that is reflected in the text. Consequently, in line with exploratory findings, this article proposes that translator education curricula and practicing translators should critically balance cultural adaptation with strategies that preserve source-culture knowledge to support mutual global understanding and intercultural literacy.

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Author Biographies

  • Mohammed El Haddouchi, University Mohammed Premier, Oujda, Morocco

    Mohammed EL HADDOUCHI holds a PhD from Mohammed First University in Oujda, Morocco. His academic interests encompass translation studies, intercultural communication, translator education, and higher education research. His doctoral research examined the employability of translation graduates in Morocco, particularly the relationship between academic training and labor market expectations. His scholarly work adopts interdisciplinary perspectives on the relationships between language, culture, education, and professional development.

  • Taoufiq Mhamdi, University Mohammed Premier, Oujda, Morocco

    Taoufiq MHAMDI is a researcher affiliated with the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences at Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco. His academic interests include intercultural communicative competence, educational leadership, and the relationship between cultural diversity and higher education. His research explores the role of educational environments and interpersonal communication in fostering intercultural awareness, mutual understanding, and constructive interactions across cultural boundaries.

  • Jaouad Moumni, University Mohammed Premier, Oujda, Morocco

    Jaouad MOUMNI is a university professor in the Department of English Studies at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco. He is affiliated with the Applied Communication in Context (ACC) Research Laboratory. His academic expertise encompasses linguistics, generative syntax, Arabic linguistic structures, and language education. His research and academic activities contribute to the advancement of linguistic analysis, applied communication, and interdisciplinary scholarship in language and education.

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Published

2026-10-22

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Vol. 5 No. 17 (2026): Early View

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Articles

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How to Cite

Literary Translation as an Impediment to Intercultural Understanding: Perspectives from Translation Specialists and Interculturalists. (2026). Arabic Journal for Translation Studies, 5(17), 1-29. https://doi.org/10.63939/ajts.yqgs6w92
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