ABSTRACT
Studies of the use of mock-translation in the work of Chilean novelist Roberto Balano and American poet Ezra Pound are particularly relevant. The work of Mikhail Bakhtin offers insight into the potential of mock-translation for creating new meanings. The use of mock-translation for subversive purposes, especially in the vastly globalized sphere of popular culture, can be seen in Bakhtinian terms as an instance of a modern “universal carnival” where participants produce subversive meanings and conceptualizations of the world as a form of resistance to the hegemony of officialdom. A number of Egyptian blogs are dedicated to producing mock-translations of famous wise sayings, maxims, aphorisms and quotations from well-known figures in world history and culture. Examining mock-translation in the realm of popular culture necessarily involves opening up the concept to encompass instances of cultural creation beyond the written word, particularly in the context of digital visual culture.
