English Non-generic Negation: A Problematic Area for Arabic Translators
Abstract
The present paper aims to show that the appropriate textualization into Arabic of English non-generic negation by the Adverbials (namely too and hardly/barely/scarcely) can be a problematic area for Arabic translators. The textual data is extracted from several published translations in an attempt to show what procedures translators follow when encountering such negation and how successful they are. While the findings provide solid evidence for the serious mishaps (about 34.2% of the renderings involve one kind of problem or another) that Arabic translators experience in this area, the critical discussion unravels several textual procedures that can capture the subtleties inherent in this kind of adverbial negation.
Keywords: generic negation, non-generic negation, English, Arabic, translation.
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