Equivalence and Non-equivalence in the Intrasemiotic Translation of English-Arabic Pictograms: Towards a Comprehensive Model of Multi-Channel Translation

This paper examines the equivalence and non-equivalence in the intrasemiotic translation of ten English/Arabic pictograms (PG) as multi-channel representations combining verbal and visual contents. This aim is tackled in the light of Baker's (2018) equivalence strategies in combination with Gottlieb’s (2017) divisions of intrasemiotic translation. Particularly, the study aims to investigate the word level equivalence in PGs and the cohesive ties between the lexical and visual contents above word level. It also tries to find out whether the intrasemiotic translation of the English/Arabic PGs is beneficial in conveying the same source message of the PG or not. Additionally, the paper explores whether using the same visual channel affects the cultural equivalence and distorts the semantic message of the lexical content of the PG or not. For the purpose of this study, a qualitative method of analysis is applied to analyze the selected data. The study reveals that the intrasemiotic translation of English/Arabic PGs is beneficial in conveying the intended message although the visual content, sometimes, interfere with the target readers' culture and religion. The study also concludes that being lexically non-equivalent, does not generally affect the lexical message of the PG, especially when the visual content is clear and explicable.