Making and remaking history: a foreignized thick translation of T.E. Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom into Arabic

It investigates how translation mediates historical narratives and shapes ideological perspectives, particularly in politically and culturally sensitive contexts.Focusing on four Arabic translations published across distinct historical periods since the Arab Revolt (1916-1918), the study conducts a comparative qualitative analysis of selected translation extracts.

It investigates the translation strategies employed in rendering SPoW as a historical autobiography, uncovering patterns of omission, ideological manipulation, and shift in representation. To systematically analyze these strategies, the study introduces the foreignized thick translation model, a theoretical framework that emphasizes preserving the cultural and historical aspects of the source text while providing contextual support for the target readership.Findings reveal that each Arabic translation reflects the socio-political environment of its time, influencing the portrayal of Lawrence and key historical narratives.