Faithful Voices: Gender and Ideology in the Urdu Translation of Woolf’s Orlando

Abstract

This study examines the fidelity of translating gender-fluid content and the influence of translator gender on ideological framing, while analyzing translation strategies and ethical considerations. It employs a hybrid framework that combines Feminist Translation Theory, Vinay and Darbelnet’s (1958) model of translation strategies, and Vázquez-Ayora’s (1977) concepts of expansion, condensation, and economy to inspect the Urdu translation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando by Syed Saeed Naqvi. Feminist Translation Theory often assumes that the translator’s gender can influence how a text written by a female is perceived ideologically, potentially weakening its feminist vision. This study challenges that assumption by comparing a chosen excerpt from the novel Orlando, which carries gendered themes, and its translated version. The results demonstrate a high degree of ideological, stylistic, and semantic fidelity, with linguistic and cultural shifts primarily responsible for the common changes, rather than gendered interference. This suggests that a translator’s gender alone does not dictate an ideological approach; one can faithfully render feminist content without ideological bias.