EXTENDING CONDOLENCES TO DIFFERENT AUDIENCES: A TRANSLATION PERSPECTIVE

Higher education institutions worldwide pursue well-defined and overriding goals, including research, teaching, and community service. To achieve these objectives, they demonstrate a strong sense of responsibility for the well-being of their staff. Institutional leadership actively strives to create a supportive and welcoming environment that enables staff members to excel in teaching, research, and other professional responsibilities. This article examines institutional translation in the context of condolence messages extended to members of the academic community, particularly those who may feel uneasy around discussions of bereavement, as well as to express sympathy to the recently bereaved. It analyses three condolence circulars widely publicized among staff members in two multi-ethnic universities: Sultan Qaboos University and United Arab Emirates University. Since the faculty consists of locals and expatriates, the circulars are issued in two languages: Arabic, the official language and the source language, and English, which serves as the target language. Methodologically, the study applied Vermeer’s (1989) Skopos theory and Nord’s (1997) threefold purpose of translation framework. The findings reveal that while a functionally oriented translation strategy is employed in the condolence circulars of both universities, the United Arab Emirates University predominantly adopts a formally oriented approach, tailored for a non-Arab Muslim audience.