1. Sentential Issues in Translation
Chapter 9
Ms. Abrar A. Mujaddidi

2. The Sentential level Different grammatical arrangements:
create different assumptions for the listener or the reader
Result in different communicative effects.

3. Textual variables on the sentential level
Non syntactic features of the sentence:
Prosodic features
Theme and rheme
Foregrounding and backgrounding

4. Prosodic features
Different sentences can be created through the use of intonation and stress even though they have the same words in the same word order:
e.g. (intonation)
the salt
The salt?
The salt!

5. Arabic is not able to show similar manipulation with stress.
Stress can be similarly used in English to express different shades of meaning :
E.g. I know that man
I know that man
Arabic is not able to show similar manipulation with stress.

6. Although punctuation can not always show spoken stress and intonation effects, it sometimes can add extra meaning:
My brother who lives in Bristol is a doctor.
My brother, who lives in Bristol, is a doctor.

7. Punctuation in Arabic is even less systematic than punctuation in English.
Arabic traditionally made no use of punctuation marks.

8. Theme and Rheme The theme usually precedes the rheme. sentences
Predictable: theme
Unpredictable: rheme
The theme usually precedes the rheme.

9. Sentence stress
In Arabic and English, theme and rheme can be related to notions of stress.
Stress usually falls on the rheme.

10. Emphatic preposing Consider the following example:
‘In the early sixties, Ayatollah Khomeini …’
In English, a ‘preposed’ element is an element placed before the subject.

11. Arabic makes use of preposed emphatic themes.
In Arabic, anything which comes before the verb in a sentence which contains a verb may be a preposed emphatic theme.

12. Theme-rheme translation Issues:
In some cases, it becomes impossible to produce the same theme-rheme order and word order.
This is mainly because English and Arabic both have the tendency to start with the most thematic element and end with the most rhematic element.
و بنى هذا الجسر مهندسون مصريون
This bridge was built by Egyptian engineers

13. Foregrounding and backgrounding
Subordinate elements are said to convey background information.
Main clauses are said to convey foreground information

14. thank you 