Lexical Gaps and The Possibility of Their Translation: Examples from Aminata Sow Fall’s The Beggars’ Strike

Abstract

This study entitled "Lexical Gaps in the Translation of The Beggars’ Strike", deals with source-language words and/or expressions that have no equivalent or are non-existent in the target language, and that constitute, therefore, what is called lexical gaps in the target language. Specifically, it aims at investigating the translatability of lexical gaps in The Beggars’ Strike" (which is the target text of Aminata Sow Fall’s novel, La grève des Bàttu), and the strategies used by the translator to solve the problems posed by such lexical gaps. The study adopted the cultural translation theory which emphasises diversity of cultures as well as the Interpretive Theory of Translation which gives pre-eminence to translating the meaning of a text and not its words taken in isolation. Four research questions guided this study in line with the objectives. The findings buttress the point that lexical gaps, whether they be culturally grounded or simple words, do not denote an impossibility of translation as they can be expressed through various translation techniques such as borrowing, adaptation, or domestication among others. The study recommends that in case of borrowing, footnotes or a glossary should be used to expatiate words or expressions which are unfamiliar to target readers.