The mother tongue phenomenon in translation as identity and cultural exchange

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Ali Abbassi ¹
• Andia Abai ²
• Sarah Sharifi ³

¹ Professor in French Departement, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

² Assistant Professor of French Language and literature, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

³ French Departement, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

10.22067/rltf.2025.90367.1132

Abstract

The translation process corresponds to several elements, and different combinations between them result in various choices of equivalents. The syntactic, semantic and cultural elements influence the translator's decision. The mother tongue is one of the essential elements during the development of identity. How can we determine the function of the mother tongue in the process of interlingual translation? In this research, by studying the conception of the mother tongue and its exchange between identities, we try to conceive their functions in the act of translation. Our objective is firstly to analyze the place of the mother tongue by relating it to identity. Then we look at a lexical and semantic study of the mother tongue as a source language in translation. To conceive of this translational exchange between identity and the subject, we explore the concept of mother tongue according to the ideas of Jacques Lacan. Finally, according to a comparative and translational study between two languages French and Persian, we arrive at the semantic nuances in the different translations. Our conclusion approaches the potentiality of the mother tongue and its function in the development of the subject, despite certain reciprocity between two source and target languages, this potentiality resonates in the manner of choosing equivalent and structuring the target language which is related to the translator’s subject.

Keywords

• Mother tongue
• subject
• Jacques Lacan
• identity
• translation

Main Subjects

• french translation

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