Zahra Atefmehr

Allameh Tabataba'i University, Translation Studies, PhD

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Zahra Atefmehr is PhD in Translation Studies form Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran. Her research interests lie in the history of translation & translators (with a special focus on the Qajar era), methodology of historical research in translation/translator studies and different approaches to history writing.
ResearchGate Profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Zahra-Atefmehr

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Western Sydney University

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Mohammad-Javad Haj'jari

Razi University of Kermanshah, Iran

HODA SHABRANG

Khatam University

Masoumeh Karimi

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Ali Hasannia

Shahed University

Arezoo Rasouli

Journal of Visual and Applied Arts

University of Art (Tehran)

Azam Fooladi-Panah

University of Tehran

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Papers by Zahra Atefmehr

نژاد، برده‌داری و فضای خانه در وقایع‌نامه‌های اواخر دوره قاجار (ترجمه)

پژوهش در تاریخ, 2022

Persian Translation of: DeSouza, Wendy (2020), “Race, Slavery and Domesticity in Late Qajar Chron... more

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Translators' Professionalism and the Status of Translation as a Profession in Mid-and Late-nineteenth Century Iran

Chronotopos - A Journal of Translation History, 2023

The nineteenth century was the era of reform and gradual move to modernization in Iran. In such a... more The nineteenth century was the era of reform and gradual move to modernization in Iran. In such a milieu, translation provided an efficient means to access the knowledge and science of Europe, which was the epitome of success and prosperity for the Iranian intellectuals. In the mid-nineteenth century, when Naser al-Din Shah (r. 1848-1896) ascended the Qajar throne, his deep absorption in the West and his strong passion for learning about Europe and for modernization of the country brought about a dramatic increase in translation activity. In the fifty-year ruling period of Naser al-Din Shah, i.e., the mid-and late-nineteenth century Iran, translation offices were established and translators were widely employed in different institutions by the government. Using primary sources and documents, this archival research first examines the role of Naser al-Din Shah in production and publication of translations, then it explores whether translation was a profession in Iran in the mid-and late-nineteenth century or not and finally, it tries to find out if translators of the Naseri era can be considered professionals or not. Adopting two definitions as a yardstick, the study concludes that translation activity in the mid-and late-nineteenth century Iran had some characteristics that allow us to call it a profession. The study also argues that given the historical context of Iran in that era, the translators held the basic qualifications to be considered semi-professionals, while among them some were highly professional.

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Investigation of the Qajar Era Translators’ Knowledge of Translation Strategies and Principles: A Paratextual Approach

Translation Studies Quarterly, 2022

This study investigates knowledge of the Qajar era translators, from the reign of Naser al-Din Sh... more This study investigates knowledge of the Qajar era translators, from the reign of Naser al-Din Shah to the end of Qajar period (1848–1925), of translation principles and strategies using paratextual elements. To conduct the research, first, a list of translated works, published in the mentioned period, was compiled. The list included 372 translations, of which 207 were published in the Naseri era and 165 in the post-Constitutional period. Then to access the translations, various archives were examined. From among the 372 translation titles in the list, 199 translations were found in the archives. Finally, the 199 translations were studied in terms of paratextual elements, including translators’ pre/postfaces, footnotes, marginalia, and other notes in translations. Findings of this study challenge some prevalent generalizations about the Qajar era translators’ disregard for faithfulness in translation. Moreover, the study reveals that among the Qajar era translators some were familiar with text types, types of translation, different translation strategies and translation purpose.

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Microhistorical Research in Translator Studies: An Archival Methodology

The Translator, 2021

As an alternative to the conventional translation/translator history, which is primarily product-... more As an alternative to the conventional translation/translator history, which is primarily product-oriented, microhistory gives translation studies scholars the means to distance themselves from translated texts. It also presents an opportunity to uncover previously unseen facts, to bring to light marginalised and forgotten translators and to take a fresh look at major historical narratives of the past. This article first discusses the inherent flaws in the conventional and social histories of translation and highlights the significance of microhistory in filling the gaps in our historical knowledge. It then introduces an archival method for conducting a microhistorical translator research. Finally, the application of the method is demonstrated in a study concerning an unvoiced female translator of early 20th century Iran.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2021.1944022

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A Method for Microhistorical Translation/Translator Research: With a Focus on the Iranian Context

Translation Studies Quarterly, 2021

Microhistory can serve two functions in historical translation/translator studies. One is to disc... more Microhistory can serve two functions in historical translation/translator studies. One is to discover the forgotten individual translators or to address the previously neglected issues concerning translations, translators, translational events, translation institutions, etc. And the other is to provide the translation/translator studies scholar with the means to take a fresh look at previously investigated topics. The two functions can be fulfilled through conducting a microscopic investigation of a topic and in light of discovering the overlooked primary sources as well as critical re-reading of the previously used sources. The purpose of this article is to propose a practical step-by-step method for microhistorical translation/translator research in the Iranian context. The article first briefly introduces microhistory. Because archives and primary sources are of great importance in microhistorical research, different types of sources are introduced afterwards. The paper then provides an overview of some of the existing microhistorical studies in the field of translation studies. After that, primary sources for a microhistorical translation/translator research are introduced and finally, a tentative method is proposed.

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A Microhistorical Study of the First Translators of Dār al-Funūn

Translation Studies Quarterly, 2021

In recent years, microhistory has shifted the focus of some translation historians from translate... more In recent years, microhistory has shifted the focus of some translation historians from translated texts to individual translators’ life and work. Because of its emphasis on microscopic small-scale investigations, microhistory enables us to see the forgotten individuals, to uncover the hidden facts and to reveal the gaps in our historical knowledge. At the center of microhistory lies the archival method, which involves in-depth examination of archives and primary sources. The present article is an archival microhistorical research on the first translators of Dār al-Funūn in the Naseri era (1848–1896). Examining the archives, this study aims at providing a detailed portrait of these translators. To this end, first, the document repositories of five archives were closely investigated. Then the first-hand information extracted from primary sources were put together to write a narrative for each translator.

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Translator's Paratextual Visibility: The Case of Iranian Translators from 1906 until 1926

inTRAlinea, 2016

The present study is an attempt to find out whether the Iranian translators whose translations we... more The present study is an attempt to find out whether the Iranian translators whose translations were published during the twenty years before the fall of the Qajar dynasty – from the establishment of Constitutional Monarchy in 1906 until the end of Qajar dynasty in 1926 – were visible or invisible with respect to paratextual elements. That is to say, how much the translators used paratexts and how much their presence is felt in paratextual elements of their translations. 106 translated volumes published during this period have been examined in terms of their paratextual elements which, for the purposes of this study, included the translators’ prefaces and the presence of translators’ names versus the presence of authors’ names on title pages. The study will show that the translators were visible, mainly due to their high social and educational status. The study also proposes a model termed Network of Visibility, which is used to represent the connections among those who were involved in either the production or publication of translated books – i.e. the translators, the publishers and the patrons; and also the original authors.

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نژاد، برده‌داری و فضای خانه در وقایع‌نامه‌های اواخر دوره قاجار (ترجمه)

پژوهش در تاریخ, 2022

Persian Translation of: DeSouza, Wendy (2020), “Race, Slavery and Domesticity in Late Qajar Chron... more

Download

Translators' Professionalism and the Status of Translation as a Profession in Mid-and Late-nineteenth Century Iran

Chronotopos - A Journal of Translation History, 2023

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Investigation of the Qajar Era Translators’ Knowledge of Translation Strategies and Principles: A Paratextual Approach

Translation Studies Quarterly, 2022

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Microhistorical Research in Translator Studies: An Archival Methodology