Language and Translation Studies (LTS)

Abstract This study draws on Genette’s theory of transtextuality to examine and categorize content-based transformations in thirteen English translations of the Rostam and Sohrab Episode, seeking to address a research gap in translation studies in this area. The findings indicate that above half of the narrative is transformed across the English translations, with the transformations falling into four main categories: “reduction,” “expansion,” “event substitution,” and “character substitution.” Reduction, the most frequent form of transformation, often weakens the epic’s causality and polyphonic structure through omitting characters, scenes, or philosophical and ethical elements. Addition, through the introduction of unprecedented narrative components, at times results in a shift in genre from heroic epic to romantic or fantasy-oriented narratives. Substitution, by altering events and characters, reconfigures key concepts such as destiny, identity, and individual responsibility. The findings suggest that English translators have rewritten the story, adapting it to the tastes and expectations of target readerships.

Abstract This paper examines the psychological defense mechanisms employed by Frank Hardy in Brian Friel’s Faith Healer (1979) as he confronts anxiety provoking memories and unresolved interpersonal conflicts. Drawing on the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, and other analysts as systematized in Otto Fenichel's The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis, the study applies a qualitative, text-based analysis to Frank’s monologues in Parts One and Four of the play. Focusing on defenses against instinctual drives, namely denial, repression, projection, and isolation, the analysis reveals that denial functions as Frank’s primary strategy for avoiding emotional pain, while repression shapes his fragmented recollections of family and loss. Projection and isolation appear less frequently. The study highlights the contrast between Frank’s apparent candor and his underlying psychological evasions, contributing to psychoanalytic readings of Friel’s drama.

Abstract Translation criticism makes a great opportunity for the audience to look at translation’s quality from a new perspective. Though a comprehensive criticism is not possible sometimes, critics have always been trying to provide the audience with as much information as possible. Using Reiss’s criticism model, this research tried to examine two translations of The Handmaid’s Tale of Atwood and show the differences and similarities between the two translations. This study showed that Sommi, one of the translators, has endeavored to follow the original writer’s style. His endeavor in rendering the dialogues is suitable and cultural elements have been considered in rendering the text. Eshaghian, however, uses literal translation and this strategy have made her translation more accurate but regarding the cultural elements and the effective they may have on the reader, seems to fail.

Abstract While feminist literary criticism has extensively examined gendered perspectives in Shakespeare’s works, not much attention has been given to how disability studies might reframe such analyses through its critique of normalcy and stigma. This study places feminist criticism and disability studies in direct dialogue by examining four Shakespearean heroines—Katherina (The Taming of the Shrew), Desdemona (Othello), Hermione (The Winter’s Tale), and Portia (The Merchant of Venice). The article introduces the concept of metaphorical disability to demonstrate how gender can function as a disabling system within patriarchal structures. The heroines’ responses are examined as strategic negotiations between truth and disguise. Desdemona and Hermione choose truth and suffer exclusion, while Katherina and Portia adopt forms of performative conformity to survive. Integrating disability studies into Shakespearean analysis enables a more structurally grounded and intersectional understanding of stigma, Othering, and narrative consequence.

Abstract Although transformational leadership is recognized as one of the most effective educational leadership styles, the psychological mechanisms underlying its impact on teachers’ job performance are not fully understood. This study aimed to examine the relationship between transformational leadership and job performance, considering the mediating role of job motivation among senior high school English teachers in Golestan Province. The research was applied in purpose and descriptive-correlational in method. The statistical population consisted of 200 teachers, from whom 135 were selected using the Krejcie and Morgan table and cluster random sampling. Data were collected through standardized questionnaires on transformational leadership, job motivation, and job performance, and analyzed using structural equation modeling with SPLS software. The findings indicated that transformational leadership has a positive and significant relationship with job performance, and job motivation plays a significant mediating role in this relationship.

Abstract Self-regulated learning is a key factor in academic success, particularly in foreign language learning, and is influenced by individual and environmental factors. This study examined the relationship between perceptions of the learning environment and self-regulated learning, considering the mediating roles of academic emotions, attributional styles, and achievement goals among French language students. Using a descriptive-correlational design, structural equation modeling (SEM) through AMOS was conducted on data from 117 students at Hakim Sabzevari University, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, and the University of Tehran (M = 23.11 years). Data were collected using standardized measures of learning environment, achievement goals, academic emotions, attributional styles, and self-regulated learning. The findings showed a significant positive relationship between perceptions of the learning environment and achievement goals, whereas no significant relationships were found with academic emotions or attributional styles. These findings highlight the importance of cognitive-motivational processes in understanding self-regulated learning among French language students.