ABSTRACT
Khmer literature has traditionally played an important role in shaping the images and representations of women in society. Formed by the end of the middle period in the history of Khmer literature (fifteenth to nineteenth centuries), traditional female images or archetypes were inscribed in poetry collections known as Chbap. In these collections, Khmer women are described as obedient and kind, and they usually possess a gentle, quiet voice, and an easy gait. Khmer literature can thus be considered one of the main broadcasters of traditional female images, which have persisted till today. In this study, I use intralingual translation to examine how the translation process affects the images and representations of Khmer women from the past to the present by focussing on selected colonial novels and postcolonial film texts.
