Translation and Intertextual Equivalence: A Study of Noon Meem Rashed’s Translated Poems

Abstract

The current study aims at exploring how the intertextual equivalence is established by Ahmed (2000) in his translations of Rashed’s selected poems. A text is never a pure text; in fact, it is an intertext that functions as a site of intersection of multiple texts. The study explicates the transference of nuanced intertextual meanings from the ST (Urdu) to the TT (English). It emphasizes that the intertextual references and lexical resources may have many social, cultural, literary, historical, and religious sources, and their translation may pose certain cross-cultural and cross-linguistic challenges to the translators. Therefore, the translation of an intertextual resource needs to be a systematic process that could yield an equivalence in translation. For the analysis, the study applies Hatim and Mason’s (1990) framework that suggests a scientific method for the translation of intertextual resources. Taking this as a primary analytical framework, the study explores how Ahmed has translated the intertextual references used by Rashed. Additionally, the study also identifies certain strategies that can be used by the translators to produce an equivalent effect on the TL readers. It is expected that the current study will potentially encourage the translators and language researchers to explore further the nature of intertextual resources and the most appropriate strategies and systems of translation.