The Translation of Hedging in the Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams into English

This study is focused on the translation of hedges from Arabic into English in Ghassan Kanafani's novel entitled Rijal fi Ashams (1962). The novel was translated into English by Hilary Kilpatrick in 1998 as Men in the Sun. The data was selected from all seven chapters of the novel in the original and translated version. The two main objectives of this study are to: (i) identify the translation procedures employed when translating the Arabic hedges into English and, (ii) examine the elements that come into play when translating the Arabic hedges into English. The translation procedures proposed by Vinay and Darbelnet are used to identify the type of procedures used by the translator in rendering the Arabic hedges into English. The findings of the study have shown that firstly, the translator tends to use oblique translation procedures in transferring most of the hedges from Rijal fi Ashams. The only direct translation procedure Kilpatrick uses is literal translation where several hedges in both languages have the same language function. Secondly, elements that influence the translation procedure include linguistic differences, the translator's preference and cultural differences between Arabic and English. It is cultural differences that clearly affect the degree of commitment expressed by some hedges in both languages. Keywords: Arabic Novel Rijal fi Ashams, hedge, literary translation, English, Arabic.