ABSTRACT
Taking experiential translation as a point of departure and drawing inspiration from the recent orientation in translation studies in analyzing artwork through the lens of translation (e.g.,;), this chapter explores how artworks can offer a different perspective by considering translation as a transformational process that preserves rather than simply transfers the source material. By focusing on the artworks of two contemporary Saudi female artists, Manal AlDowayan and Maha Malluh, the chapter explores how these artists facilitate the translation of experiences as a shared, embodied and creative process that goes across linguistic and sensory boundaries. Both artists belong to the generation of women who experienced the challenges and associated transformations brought about by the Sahwa movement and its culturally informed discourses. This exploration draws on historian Sean Foley's observation that Saudi artists occupy a noteworthy position wherein “through the language of their culture, they articulate feelings and experiences that the masses cannot easily express”. This position echoes translation scholar Moira Inghilleri's view of artists and interpreters as “sensitive observers” (2022, p. 98). The experiences depicted in the artists’ work, along with the cultural artefacts used, imply creative and transformative processes that expand the concept of translation, shifting it into another artistic realm.
