Bridging the gap between translation and culture: towards a cultural dimension of translation

Abstract

This study investigates the significance of culture to the translation process. It tackles the prior call that being bilingual is enough for translation, neglecting the importance of culture for creative translation. This descriptive and analytical study is based on the semantic approach, following Ghazala's (2008) and Nida's (1964) theories of translation. It depends on textual analysis of culturally-laden collocations in some common terms, expressions, idioms, and proverbs. It was confirmed that culture is at the heart of translation as the two are inextricably interdependent. Furthermore, successful translation necessarily entails a profound understanding of the cultural context of the text, which leads to the successful transmission of the intended meaning. It is recommended that the traditional approach that bilingualism is enough for good translation should be reconsidered, and that translation programs designers and translators should give culture its due place in the translation process.