Thesis (M.A.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Arts - Department of English

Translation is the medium through which cultures and languages come in contact with one another. In postcolonial contexts, this interaction affects cultural representation which resulted in the manipulation of translation as a tool for cultural hegemony and representation. Postcolonial Translation Theory, which is the theoretical framework in this thesis, is mainly concerned with how translation is manipulated as a tool for dominance and submission in hegemonic relations and in postcolonial contexts. This thesis investigates the role played by translation in representation in postcolonial contexts. This thesis examines how Arab women were represented through investigating the translations of five of Nawal Saadawi's works into English. These five works are The Hidden Face of Eve (1980) which was originally published in 1977, Woman at Point Zero (1983) which was published in Arabic in 1975, The Fall of the Imam (1988) which was published in Arabic in 1987, The Innocence of the Devil (1994) which was published in Arabic in 1992 and Love in the Kingdom of Oil (2001) which was published in Arabic in 1993. These particular works by Saadawi were selected based on the varieties of translation strategies used, which deserve examination in this thesis, tracing their impact on representation. The methodological framework governing this thesis is Gerard Genette's Paratexts as the paratextual elements of the translations are the subject of the analysis. The footnotes, prefaces, glossaries, illustrations, cover and title of the works are analyzed to investigate how Arab men, women as well as Saadawi herself were represented in translation

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