Phenomenon of Translation Shift: A Descriptive Study of King Solomon’s Mines by Haggard and Its Urdu Translation

Abstract

This article deals with the phenomenon of translation shifts in Urdu
translation of an English novel King Solomon‟s Mines written by H.
Rider Haggard. Translation shift is definitely a crucial issue to be
examined in literary texts. Owing to the dissimilarity in the references
used in distinct languages to call same referents and their diverse
structures, literary translation becomes a complex task (Munday,
2001). This study aims at investigating the kinds of translation shifts
in Urdu translation of an English text. 25% random sentences of the
whole novel are used to examine translation shifts by employing
quantitative approach. Catford‟s (1965) taxonomy of translation
shifts is utilized in the study as a theoretical framework. The findings
of the study reveal that the unit shift is employed most frequently in
Urdu translation and the reason behind this occurrence is the absence
of direct equivalent in the target language as well as the preservation
of idiomatic and fluent translation. The research is very helpful in
highlighting the issues regarding similarities as well as disparities
between grammars of two distinct languages. It will work as a
guiding tool for the scholars to investigate other genres of translated
texts by emphasizing the phenomenon of translation.