Some Notes on Sami Mikhail’s Translation of Najīb Maḥfūẓ’s As-Sukriyyah into Hebrew

This research aims at addressing the translation of Najīb Maḥfūẓ’s As-Sukriyyah by Sami Mikhail into Hebrew. In the research, I will try to make some observations about Mikhail’s translation of the novel. The research began with a general introduction to the translation of Arabic literature into Hebrew, and the reason why orientalists in Israel are interested in Arabic literature, especially in Najīb Maḥfūẓ’s literature, with the view of understanding the nature of the Arab society. The research also examines the translation of As-Sukriyyah to Hebrew. It focused on some of the problems and confusions that Mikhail created in his translation of the novel; these confusions are: the translation of the title, the Arabic names, his lack of methodology in unifying the translation of some words, his neglect of punctuation, and his deletion of some Arabic words, changing of some utterances to some meanings in such a way that was different from the meaning that Maḥfūẓ wanted. Despite the great effort sought by Mikhail in translating the novel, the translated work was flooded with several lapses that influenced the meaning. If Mikhail had given more attention to his work, the translation would have been more accurate and corresponding with the meaning envisaged by Maḥfūẓ.