A Portrait of the Translator as a Political Activist

This paper attempts to portray the role of the translator as a political activist. It studies the character of the translator Mansur Abd As-Salam in Abd Ar-Rahman Munif s 1973 novel Al-Ashjaar wa Igtiyaal Marzouq (The Trees and the Assassination of Marzouq)1. In addition to emphasizing the sociopolitical characterization of the translator in this important Arabic novel, the paper focuses on the professional context(s) Abd As-Salam is set in and on parallels between the narratives of the author and the character of the translator. The concluding point that the researcher draws is that translation replaces writing and helps to secure a haven for endangered people who indulge in political activism though it is depicted as marginal and secondary as far as the original professions of those people is concerned.