The absurdity of translation

Abstract

This paper offers a critical scholarly analysis of the two Arabic translations of The Secret of Words (MIT Press, 2022), a linguistic dialogue between Noam Chomsky and Andrea Moro that presents a concise overview of the foundations and developments of generative theory. The study argues that both Arabic translations suffer from serious methodological and conceptual deficiencies that go beyond conventional issues of translation loss to the distortion of core linguistic and scientific concepts. It highlights the absence of essential features of specialized translation, such as theoretical framing, terminological explanation, and awareness of the intellectual context of the original text, as well as the inappropriate rendering of the book’s title. Through detailed examples, the paper demonstrates major errors in the translation of linguistic, physical, and biological terminology, resulting in semantic inversion or loss, particularly with respect to syntax, hierarchical structure, parameters, and Universal Grammar. The paper concludes by emphasizing the urgent need for rigorous scholarly standards in translating specialized linguistic works into Arabic.