How things become paraphrased…
Excerpt 1:
“If the Syrian branch shows a fortunately stunted growth that helped preserve the original, the Egyptian branch, on the contrary, shows a proliferation that produced an abundance of poisonous fruits that proved almost fatal to the original” – (Haddawy XV).
- The Syrian Branch exhibits a pleasing development that aided in preserving the original. However, the Egyptian version shows ideas that almost destroyed the Arabic originality.
- The Egyptian Branch displays a growth that produced an excess of deadly fruits, or bad ideals, that that almost killed the original story. However, the Syrian branch’s limited development of the story aided in the preservation of the Arabian tale.
- For good reason, the Syrian version of the story is shortened in attempts to preserve the true story of the original. However, the Egyptian version is riddled with false information that almost killed the roots of the story.
“For all a given translators knowledge and skill, a translation is essentially a matter of sensitivity and taste, applied in one thousand and one instances. As such, for the translator, who stands astride two cultures, possesses two different sensibilities, and assumes a double identity, a translation is a journey of self-discovery”(Haddawy XXXV).
- Translation is basically a concept based upon sensibility and taste, regardless of a translators knowledge or skill, applied in a thousand to one instances. As such, a translation is a journey of self discovery for the translator, who bridges across two cultures, has two different norms, and assumes an dual identity.
- A translation is fundamentally a question of judgement and taste, applicated in a thousand different ways, despite the knowledge of the translator. A translation can be seen as an exploration where one straddles two cultures, assumes double identity, and possesses two separate perceptions.
- A translation is an exploration of one’s self for the translator, who balances between two cultures, has two distinct sensibilities, and takes a dual identity. A translation is primarily a question of taste and sensibility applied in several different situations, despite the experience of the translator.
My experience of paraphrasing was eye opening. It made me realize just how easy it is to change the meaning of a passage simply by just trying to word it differently. While reading, I found passages that I found difficult to understand the first time I read them through. The act of paraphrasing allowed me to understand the idea that the author was trying to convey. If the Nights gets translated the wrong way, there’s a good chance that the true story could be lost. It is crucial for the original story to be paraphrased correctly in its branches. When thinking about the text as a whole, one question came to mind. Were the stories that Shahrazad told to the King paraphrased over time? Were the stories different when they were first told? Nobody knows except for the people who created the stories originally. As a writer, I learned that it is very important to understand what is being read before paraphrasing. If not, there’s a great chance one may change the point in which the author was attempting to convey.
