The Public Viva-Voce Examination for the PhD Dissertation hereto entitled, Quality Assessment of the Translation of Cultural-Specific Terms in Abdulwahab Al-Maqaleh’s Translation of The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers and Rosshalde by Hermann Hesse, submitted by Mr Ebrahim Saif Saif Ghaleb AShujaify, Department of English Studies, Faculty of Languages, was held on Saturday, 9/8/1446 Hijri corresponding to 8/2/2025. The Viva-Voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Post-Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:

Committee Members Designation University Position

1 Prof. Qaid Dabwan Ali Fara’a External examiner Ibb University Chair
2 Assoc. Prof. Mohammed Mohammed Al-Aqeely Internal Examiner Sana’a University Member
3 Assoc. Prof.Ibraheem Sufyan Qassem Hajeb Main supervisor Sana’a University Member
The study aimed to assess and evaluate the quality of the translation of cultural terms of Abdulwahab Al-Maqaleh’s translation of Dave Eggers’ Novel “The Monk of Mokha” and Hermann Hesse’s (Rosshalde) by using House’s (2015) Translation Quality Assessment model.
The study concluded with a number of findings, including The translation of Rosshalde and The Monk of Mokha highlights the complexities of literary translation, particularly in conveying culture-specific terms. The findings reveal that while Rosehalde was rendered more fluently, certain inaccuracies in cultural expressions compromised its precision. In contrast, The Monk of Mokha presented greater challenges, especially in translating idiomatic expressions and American cultural references, leading to errors that obscured the intended meaning. The study also revealed that the literal translation of some terms led to meaning distortion and disrupted the coherence of the target text.
The researcher made several recommendations, including:
– Dr. Abdul-Wahab Al-Maqaleh is a well-known translator who is known for his work in the field of translation. He has translated over 26 books, including poems, stories, and other types of writing. His work has not been studied by a large number of people. Al-Maqaleh deserves more recognition as he is among the very few Yemeni translators working in the field of translating literary works.
– The Monk of Mokha is a wonderful novel that depicts the miserable life that Yemenis endure inside and outside their country. It tells a lot a about that unknown Yemen. Hence, it requires more studies and research in the field of translation to render the unique characteristics of Yemeni culture.
The PhD dissertation has been examined and is recommended by the Viva-Voce Committee for acceptance and approval. The Candidate was recommended to be awarded the degree of PhD majoring in Translation
The viva was attended by academics, researchers, students, and other interested individuals, including the researcher’s colleagues and family members.