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Article published In: Rethinking Translating Cultures
Edited by Moneera Al-Ghadeer, Charles Forsdick, Mohammed Al-Sudairi, Andreas Karatsolis, Eric Calderwood and Mohammed Allwaish
[Babel 71:6] 2025
► pp. 792–825

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Translating the untranslatable

The case of mahr in Polish language and socio-cultural context

ORCiD logo with link | Jagiellonian University in Cracow
Published online: 14 July 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.25102.bie
Abstract
The translation of culturally embedded legal concepts presents a significant challenge, particularly when direct linguistic equivalents are absent. This study examines the case of mahr — the obligatory financial gift from a groom to a bride in Islamic marriage — within the Polish linguistic and socio-legal context. While mahr holds religious, legal, and cultural significance in Islamic law, Polish marital traditions lack a direct counterpart. The study investigates how mahr is rendered in Polish academic and public discourse, analyzing translation strategies, their legal and cultural implications, and the broader issue of untranslatability in cross-cultural legal adaptation. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining content analysis of 30 academic texts to examine translation strategies for mahr in Polish discourse with a nationwide survey of 180 young Polish speakers to assess public understanding and interpretation of the term, providing both qualitative and quantitative insights into the challenges of translating culturally specific legal concepts. Through content analysis of academic texts and a survey of young Polish speakers, the findings reveal a predominant reliance on borrowing, alongside various adaptation techniques. However, frequent mistranslations equating mahr with Polish historical marital institutions such as posag, wiano, and oprawa wdowia highlight the risks of conceptual distortion. The study argues that the most accurate approach is foreignization — retaining mahr in its original form with contextual explanation — to preserve its legal and cultural integrity. The results contribute to broader translation studies, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary approaches in translating culturally specific legal terms, particularly in an increasingly globalized world.
Résumé
La traduction de concepts juridiques profondément ancrés dans une culture constitue un défi majeur, en particulier lorsqu’il n’existe pas d’équivalents linguistiques directs. Cette étude se penche sur le cas du mahr — le don financier obligatoire du marié à la mariée dans le mariage islamique — dans le contexte linguistique et socio-juridique polonais. Alors que le mahr revêt une importance religieuse, juridique et culturelle en droit islamique, les traditions matrimoniales polonaises n’en possèdent pas d’équivalent direct. L’étude examine la manière dont le mahr est représenté dans le discours académique et public polonais, en analysant les stratégies de traduction utilisées, leurs implications juridiques et culturelles, ainsi que la question plus large de l’intraduisibilité dans l’adaptation juridique interculturelle. Une approche méthodologique mixte est adoptée : l’analyse de contenu de 30 textes académiques permet d’examiner les stratégies de traduction du mahr dans le discours polonais, tandis qu’une enquête nationale menée auprès de 180 jeunes locuteurs polonais évalue leur compréhension et interprétation du terme, offrant ainsi un éclairage qualitatif et quantitatif sur les défis liés à la traduction de concepts juridiques spécifiques à une culture. L’analyse révèle une prédominance du recours à l’emprunt, accompagnée de diverses techniques d’adaptation. Toutefois, les nombreuses traductions erronées assimilant le mahr à des institutions matrimoniales historiques polonaises telles que posag, wiano ou oprawa wdowia soulignent les risques de distorsion conceptuelle. L’étude plaide en faveur d’une stratégie d’étrangéisation — conserver le terme mahr dans sa forme originale, accompagné d’un éclairage contextuel — afin d’en préserver l’intégrité juridique et culturelle. Ces résultats s’inscrivent dans une réflexion plus large sur la traductologie, et soulignent l’importance d’approches interdisciplinaires dans la traduction des concepts juridiques culturellement marqués, en particulier à l’ère de la mondialisation.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Literature review
    • Mahr
    • Posag, oprawa wdowia, wiano and others
    • Mahr and its correct Polish counterpart
      • As
      • As
      • As
      • Correct translation
      • Translating cultures
    • Muslim communities in Poland
  • Methodology
  • Limitations
  • Literature study
  • Societal view
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion and further implications
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
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