Translating Physical Limitation in Beckett’s Endgame and Its Urdu Translation (Shah-maat): A Comparative Study
Keywords:
Physical Limitation, Samuel Beckett, Endgame, Shah-maat, Urdu Translation, Juliane House, Translation Quality Assessment (TQA)Abstract
This paper analyzes the representation and translation of physical limitations including immobility, restricted movement, and bodily decline in Samuel Beckett’s Endgame and its Urdu translation Shah-maat. Using Juliane House’s Translation Quality Assessment (TQA) Model (2015) the study focuses on how these limitations are linguistically expressed in the source text and recontextualized for a culturally distinct Urdu-speaking audience. The analysis is guided by two primary objectives: first, to identify how physical limitation is portrayed in the original English play; and second, to assess how effectively these portrayals are conveyed in the Urdu translation. Through the categories of field, tenor, and mode, along with the application of the cultural filter, this paper highlights how physical suffering in Endgame is not only preserved but also reshaped in Shah-maat to align with Urdu literary and emotional norms. The findings show that while the translator maintains the essential imagery of bodily decline, subtle shifts in tone, diction, and emotional resonance help make these experiences more accessible to South Asian readers. This study concludes that physical limitation in Beckett’s drama is not merely a portrayal of aging but serves as a profound narrative device, reflecting deeper aspects of human dependency and endurance elements that the Urdu translation thoughtfully adapts while maintaining textual integrity.
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