Strategies in O. A. Obafemi's Translations of Culture-bound Expressions in D. O. Fágúnwà's Àdììtú Olódùmarè

Culture is often tied to culture-bound expressions used in a particular language, thereby making translation from one language to another difficult. This study investigated the translation strategies employed in the rendering of culture-bound expressions from Yoruba into English, using D. O. Fágúnwà’s Àdììtú Olódùmarè and its English translation, The Mysteries of God, as primary texts. The study was based on qualitative research approach. Sixteen culture-bound expressions, comprising idioms, ideophones, names of deities, animals, and culturally specific metaphors, were purposively sampled from the primary texts. Newmark’s (1988) translation procedures served as the analytical framework for identifying and examining the strategies adopted by the translator. The analysis revealed that the translator employs a range of strategies, most notably couplets, paraphrase, functional equivalence, through-translation, reduction, and naturalization, to negotiate the cultural and linguistic gaps between Yoruba and English. While some strategies, such as paraphrase and functional equivalence, enhanced intelligibility and communicative effectiveness for the target audience; others, particularly naturalization and through-translation, foregrounded the source culture but occasionally result in semantic opacity for non-Yoruba readers. The study concluded that the translation reflects a constant tension between fidelity to the source text and functional adequacy in the target text, underscoring the complexity of translating culture-bound expressions. It recommends a balanced application of translation strategies that preserves cultural specificity while ensuring accessibility for the target audience.