CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF GENDER REPRESENTATION IN THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF CHUGHTAI'S ‘LIHAAF’

Abstract

This study examines the English translation of Ismat Chughtai’s Lihaaf (1942), a work exploring female sexuality, repression, and desire, employing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Sherry Simon’s theory of Gender and Translation to investigate the male translator’s subjectivity and its influence on the construction of female identity in the target text. The study aims to analyze the ideological and cultural biases of the translator and their impact on the depiction of female sexuality and desire. It explores whether the translator’s lexical choices reinforce or challenge the critique of patriarchal structures present in the Urdu source text. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the male translator’s subjectivity on the construction of female identity in the English translation of Ismat Chughtai’s Lihaf. The study employs qualitative content analysis and CDA. It contributes to the growing body of research on gender and translation, highlighting the importance of considering the ideological and cultural biases of translators. The findings indicate that the male translator’s subjectivity significantly influences the construction of female identity in the target text, emphasizing the need for translators to be aware of their own biases and assumptions.