Translation in the Arab World: The Abbasid Golden Age (Translation Studies in Translation)

The Translation Movement of the Abbasid Period, which lasted for almost three hundred years, was a unique event in world history. During this period, much of the intellectual tradition of the Greeks, Persians, and Indians was translated into Arabic―a language with no prior history of translation or of science, medicine, or philosophy. This book investigates the cultural and political conflicts that translation brought into the new Abbasid state from a sociological perspective, treating translation as a process and a product. The opening chapters outline the factors involved in the initiation and cessation of translational activity in the Abbasid period before dealing in individual chapters with important events in the Translation Movement, such as the translation of Aristotle’s __Poetics__ into Arabic, Abdullah ibn al-Muqaffa’s seminal translation of the Indian/Persian __Kalilah wa Dimna__ into Arabic and the translation of scientific texts. Other chapters address the question of whether the Abbasids had a theory of translation and why, despite three hundred years of translation, not a single poem was translated into Arabic. The final chapter deals with the influence of translation during this period on the Arabic language. Offering new readings of many issues that are associated with that period, informed by modern theories of translation, this is key reading for scholars and researchers in Translation Studies, Oriental and Arab Studies, Book History and Cultural History. The Translation Movement of the Abbasid Period, which lasted for almost three hundred years, was a unique event in world history. During this period, much of the intellectual tradition of the Greeks, Persians, and Indians was translated into Arabic - a language with no prior history of translation or of science, medicine, or philosophy. This book investigates the cultural and political conflicts that translation brought into the new Abbasid state from a sociological perspective, treating translation as a process and a product. The opening chapters outline the factors involved in the initiation and cessation of translational activity in the Abbasid period before dealing in individual chapters with important events in the Translation Movement, such as the translation of Aristotle’s Poetics into Arabic, Abdullah ibn al-Muqaffa’s seminal translation of the Indian/Persian Kalilah wa Dimna into Arabic, and the translation of scientific texts. Other chapters address the question of whether the Abbasids had a theory of translation and why, despite three hundred years of translation, not a single poem was translated into Arabic. The final chapter deals with the influence of translation during this period on the Arabic language. Offering new readings of many issues that are associated with that period, informed by modern theories of translation, this is key reading for scholars and researchers in Translation Studies, Oriental and Arab Studies, Book History, and Cultural History. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Preface 7 A note on spelling and transliteration 8 A note on translations 9 Acknowledgements 10 A polemical introduction 12 1 Beginnings and endings 22 2 Translation and cultural struggle 37 3 Translation of literary criticism: Aristotle's Poetics in Arabic 49 4 A discussion about translation in the Abbasid period 68 5 Translation of literature: Kalila wa Dimna 78 6 Translation of science: Hunain ibn Ishaq 92 7 Did the Abbasids have a theory of translation? 105 8 The Abbasids and poetry translation 125 9 The impact of translation on Arabic 137 Conclusion 145 Bibliography 148 Arabic sources 148 English sources 151 Index 158 Adnan,Abdulla;,Cultural,Conflict,in,the,Abbasid,Era;,Translation,and,the,Abbasid,Era;,Translation,of,Literary,Criticism;,the,Abbasid,Era;,Aristotle's,Poetics,in,Arabic;,Translation,in,the,Abbasid,Period;,Translation,of,Literature;,Kalila,wa,Dimna;,Translation,of,Science;,Hunain,ibn,Ishaq;,Theory,of,Translation;,The,Abbasids,and,Poetry,Translation;,Impact,of,Translation,on,Arabic;,Translation,in,the,Arab,World;,The,Abbasid,Golden,Age Adnan Abdulla,Cultural Conflict in the Abbasid Era,Translation and the Abbasid Era,Translation of Literary Criticism,the Abbasid Era,Aristotle's Poetics in Arabic,Translation in the Abbasid Period,Translation of Literature,Kalila wa Dimna,Translation of Science,Hunain ibn Ishaq,Theory of Translation,The Abbasids and Poetry Translation,Impact of Translation on Arabic,Translation in the Arab World,The Abbasid Golden Age