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History of Translation in the Arab World: An Overview



Author(s)

Mohammad Issa Mehawesh

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DOI:10.17265/1539-8080/2014.08.009

Zarqa University, Zarqa, Jordan

Translation is quite vital for cross-cultural communication. It helps create a better understanding between different communities through the transmission of ideas and beliefs. It has played a key role in the development of world culture. Translation has been always the bridge between civilizations; indeed, throughout history, written and spoken translations have played a crucial role in interhuman communication. This paper aims at providing a brief account of how the concept of Translation Projects has developed, with particular insight into the Arab world. The study also aims at investigating the history of translation in the Arab world and in the Islamic era and describing the stages that the translation went through from the beginning of the Islamic Empire, Umayyad Period, Abbasid Period, school of Toledo, Ottoman period, and the 20th century. The paper also explains how translators played a key role in translating knowledge through the different Islamic periods. The study will look at KALIMA as an example for a translation project in the Arab World. KALIMA is an Arabic word with an English equivalent that is “word”. The paper ends with reflections on the current and future situation of the translation in the Arab world.

translation, history, Islamic, Arab, world