Abstract Gideon Toury, a leading theorist in linguistics and translation, contested the source-oriented approach to translation and introduced a target-oriented model that includes three categories of norms: initial, preliminary, and operational. This methodology was a crucial advancement in the standardization of translation. This study intends to apply this model by employing a descriptive-analytical approach and consulting library resources to evaluate and analyze the Persian translation of Naguib Mahfouz's novel "Zuqaq al-Midaq," translated by Mohammad Reza Marashi-Pour. This study's findings indicate that, regarding the initial norm, the translator emphasizes the linguistic standards of the target language, guaranteeing that the translated text operates efficiently and is well received within the cultural and linguistic framework of the target audience. The translator follows operational standards, adhering to structural norms like the insertion or exclusion of words, sentences, and footnotes, while also integrating linguistic norms, such as equivalence and stylistic elements. The translator has effectively produced a fluent and clear interpretation of the content.IntroductionHistorically, diverse civilizations and cultures have utilized writing and storytelling to articulate their situations and experiences. Stories, owing to their narrative characteristics and imaginative features, significantly contribute to the communication of written truths, realities, and cultural aspects. In this context, the art of translation is crucial for conveying fundamental facts and cultural features to other cultures. Translation facilitates the dissemination of a nation's culture. Nevertheless, due to the distinct cultural foundations inherent in each language, translation encounters specific problems. As a result, translation theorists have suggested multiple theories to address these issues. Among these theorists are Even-Zohar and Gideon Toury, who, adhering to the principles of formalism and the target-oriented approach, posited that translation cannot completely correspond to the original text, nor can equivalences be accurately determined. Such an outcome is due to the distinct textual, literary, and linguistic frameworks inherent to each language, rendering perfect translation unattainable in the target language. Their thesis posits that languages are distinct, with each writing style differing both structurally and culturally, hence complicating the attainment of universal acceptability (Gentzler, 2014: 163). Gideon Toury proposed a model based on translation norms. He said that a translator must follow standards that make the translation acceptable, lively, and alive in the target language. This promotes cultural growth and the development of language and literature (Toury, 2014: 85). Consequently, it can be asserted that a primary method for enhancing concept transmission and ensuring the fluency of a translated text is to focus on the structure and linguistic conventions of the target text, which should take precedence over the source text for the translator.Naguib Mahfouz is an Egyptian author who has portrayed the reality of Egyptian society across several epochs in his writings. His works have been translated into other languages, including Persian. Mohammad Reza Marashi Pour is an Iranian translator known for translating the works of authors including Naguib Mahfouz. He has translated significant works such as Palace of Desire, Sugar Street, The Beggar, and "Zuqaq al-Midaq" into Persian, therefore successfully presenting Mahfouz's literature to Persian-speaking audiences. Assessing the Persian translation of the novel "Zuqaq al-Midaq" with Toury's normative paradigm can significantly contribute to evaluating the quality of this translation. It is essential to formulate a thorough inquiry in this context:How is the Persian translation of the novel "Zuqaq al-Midaq" assessed according to Tory's normative model concerning initial, preliminary, and operational norms?Literature ReviewNumerous research studies have examined the applicability of Toury's normative paradigm to Arabic and Persian literary texts, a selection of which is succinctly summarized below: Afzali and Madani's article "The Application of Gideon Toury's Norms Theory in Evaluating the Quality of the Arabic Translation of Forough Farrokhzad's Poems" was published in the Journal of Comparative Studies of Persian and Arabic Literature in 2020. It looked at the Arabic translation of Farrokhzad's poems using Toury's notion of norms.Fazel Abbaszadeh (2021), in an article entitled "Critique of Shourabi's Poetic Translation of the First and Third Ghazals of Hafez Based on Gideon Toury's Model," published in the Journal of Criticism, Analysis, and Aesthetics, examined the translation of Hafez's first and third ghazals through the lens of Toury's target-oriented model."Examining Toury's Initial Norms in Audiovisual Translation (Case Study: Specific Cultural Elements in the Animation 'Prince of Rome')" was Mahdieh Alizadeh Ghouzzani's master's thesis from 2022. It looked at the audiovisual translation of the animation Prince of Rome using Toury's normative framework.Recently, numerous research studies have been undertaken on the novel Midaq Alley, including the following: Hassan Abdollahi and Omid Izanloo (2012), in their essay "Sociological Analysis of Naguib Mahfouz's Novel Midaq Alley," published in the Journal of Arabic Literary Criticism, examined the characters, socio-cultural framework, and realistic methodology of the narrative.Yahya Ma'ruf and Moslem Khazli (2016), in their article "Psychological Analysis of Naguib Mahfouz's Novel 'Zuqaq al-Midaq,'" published in the Journal of Contemporary Arabic Literary Criticism, analyzed the characters through a psychological lens, exploring the personality types within the novel and the motivations behind Mahfouz's character development.Jahanbakht and Parmas (2020), in their article "The Function of Non-Verbal Actions in Naguib Mahfouz's Novel 'Zuqaq al-Midaq,'" published in the Journal of the Iranian Association of Arabic Language and Literature, examined non-verbal behaviors and their roles in character development within the narrative.According to these studies, "Zuqaq al-Midaq" has mostly been looked at through the lens of narrative, with no research being done on the Persian translation or how it relates to Gideon Toury's normative paradigm. Consequently, analyzing the Persian translation of this novel according to the previously specified framework constitutes a significant contribution to the discipline.Research MethodologyWe employed a descriptive-analytical strategy to achieve the primary goal of this study. This task entailed the selection of Toury's normative paradigm and the examination of pertinent literature regarding this model. The subject of analysis is the Persian translation of the novel "Zuqaq al-Midaq." We examined both the Arabic and Persian versions of the work, extracting and evaluating instances using Gideon Toury's normative paradigm.ConclusionIn translating literary texts, especially novels, the translator must not only convey content and concepts but also consider cultural nuances and literary subtleties, ensuring fidelity to the original while presenting the literary language optimally. This is the essential understanding obtained from Gideon Toury's normative model. The assessment of the Persian translation of "Zuqaq al-Midaq" indicated, according to this model, that the translator employed a target-oriented strategy, prioritizing the Persian-speaking audience as the principal beneficiaries. The examination of the examples revealed that, in alignment with the original standard, the translator delivered a translation that is satisfactory in the target language. According to the first standard of translation policy, the Persian translation of "Zuqaq al-Midaq" was executed due to the cultural affinity between Iran and the Arab world, along with the imperative to familiarize Persian speakers with significant works from the Arab region. The translator, while conforming to structural and grammatical norms, integrated aspects such as the addition and exclusion of words and phrases, sentence restructuring, footnotes, transference, equivalence identification, and stylistic features into the translation. In conclusion, the translator effectively identified suitable replacements for terms and, while ensuring maximum fidelity, accurately communicated the material to the audience.