Habitus and Intellectual Trajectory in the Translational Process: A Case Study

Abstract

This research aims to identify the extent to which the agents’ habitus and intellectual trajectory influence the end product of translation and further to understand the complex portrait of how the agents’ experiences, history, and backgrounds influence the process of translation. The researcher presents a case study utilizing an explanation of Bourdieu’s theoretical framework. The data used in this research involves an interview with the translator Trevor Le Gassick, identifying his experiences, history and backgrounds that might influence the process of translation to figure out if he has a certain degree of liberty in his choice of strategies and practices. The researcher also uses examples from Le Gassick’s translation of novels written by the Egyptian Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz to validate his interview responses. It is concluded that the translator’s habitus and intellectual life trajectories strongly influence the process and product of translation. This will allow for more consideration of individual agency in relation to a cultural production.