The Untranslatability of cultural Arab jokes into English and The Application of compensation methods
Dharifa Bougora, Goui Djamel
كلية الاداب واللغات-جامعة قاصدى مرباح ورقلة · الجزائر
People tell jokes to break the ice in a conversation and to provoke laughter helping others change their bad mood. Since comedy and jokes are preferred to everyone, people tell jokes about every aspect in life including politics and religion. A cultural joke is a joke that contains culture-specific items; and generally, this kind of jokes are a challenge for translators. The problem of untranslatability prevents them from rendering the meaning that may have a similar effect on TL reader as that which causes a SL reader to laugh. Untranslatability of cultural jokes can be solved, according to some scholars, through the careful use of compensation methods. Translators in the process of trying to convey the message, with the presence of untranslatability, attempt to make their work clear and understandable; but still they struggle trying to find a way that allows them to include some important details of the ST. They would not be able to do that unless they use compensation methods. In this research, we tried to solve the problem of untranslatability in cultural jokes applying these methods.Les gens disent des blagues pour s’amuser. Et parseque la comedie est preferees par tous le monde, les gens utilisaient l’humour pour dire ce qu’ils pensent de la politique et la religion. La blague culturel contient des termes culturel. Ce type des blagues constitues un defit pour les traducteurs car le problem de ne pas trouver un equivalent acceptable et commun pour les lecteurs de la langue de but exist toujours. Ce problem peut etre resolus si les traducteurs utilisent les methods convenables qui servent a expliquer le point de vue du traducteur Et.