Since the late 1990s, research on the English translation of Arab women's novels, particularly feminist ones, has raised concerns about ‘manipulation’ in translation. However, most studies within this area adopt a narrow perspective that neglects the roles of broader socio-cultural factors and different social agents, like translators and publishers. Thus, existing perspectives on this issue of manipulation fail to consider key developments in the field of translation studies that have sought to transcend the one-dimensional comparative analysis that is usually conducted between original texts and their translations. To address this gap, this research has adopted a sociologically informed approach that draws on Bourdieu’s theoretical framework, while incorporating feminist and postcolonial translation theories. Embarking from this more nuanced framework, the research adopted a case study approach, examining the translation of two feminist novels by Miral al-Tahawy. This sociological approach has considered textual and paratextual elements, wider socio-cultural contexts in which the novels and their translations were produced, and the habitus of the different social agents involved in the translation process.
The key findings of this research can be summarised into three main points. First, several socio-cultural factors deeply embedded within the structures of the larger translation field, and the social agents involved in translating al-Tahawy’s novels, have influenced both the ways in which these works were translated into English, as well as their appeal to the publishers of translated Arabic fiction. Second, the primary publisher of al-Tahawy’s novels, the American University in Cairo Press (AUCP), and the translator of The Tent, Anthony Calderbank, both reflected her feminist voice in the translation. In contrast, Faber and Faber, the publisher of al-Tahawy’s Brooklyn Heights, and its translator, Samah Selim, concealed this voice in their translation. Third, some of the decisions taken by the two publishers and translators of al-Tahawy's novels can be regarded as indicators of postcolonial or orientalist ideologies. Selim's decisions, for example, reflect a postcolonial perspective or ideology, whereas AUCP's decisions appear orientalist and ethnographic. These significant findings challenge several mainstream academic beliefs about the factors shaping the translation of Arabic feminist fiction, paving the way for a more nuanced discussion about the manipulation of Arab women's voices in translation.
