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DCT Abu Dhabi Organises Lecture On Translation To Support The Arabic-Language Renaissance |
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Marking International Translation Day, the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) organised a lecture entitled ‘Translation Towards Driving the Renaissance’ on 30th September at Manarat Al Saadiyat. Moderated by Prof. Zakaria Ahmed, the event featured Prof. Omar Al Ayoubi, Director of Studies and Translation, Maarif Group, and Dr. Shihab Ghanem, retired Managing Director of Mohammed Bin Rashid Technology Park. Al Ayoubi began his speech by exploring the conditions that paved the way for translation, which contributed to driving the renaissance in the past, comparing them to modern-day conditions that hinder advances in translation. Underlining the many Arabic translation conferences, seminars and meetings held every year, Al Ayoubi said, "Offering many ideas and proposals, these events fail to provide concrete results. While we try to keep pace with the world’s rapid developments, the gap between new scientific terms and Arabic-coined equivalents continues to widen, promoting the use of foreign languages, especially English, in our daily lives, while neglecting the Arabic language." In reference to the role of translation in driving major intellectual and scientific transformations, Al Ayoubi highlighted translations from Greek and Persian manuscripts during the Abbasid period (9th Century AD), which led to the prosperity of Islamic civilisation, placing it in the lead across the world’s scientific and cultural landscapes. "The Arabic-Latin translations made between the 12th and 13th Centuries, contributed to the birth of Renaissance Europe. Recently, in the late 19th Century and later following World War II, the translation movement in Japan led to Japan's development, earning it a pioneering position in the scientific and technological fields," he added. Al Ayoubi concluded, "For translation to achieve its purpose and advance the renaissance, efforts must be made to promote Arabic among its people because the power of translation in the Arab world is not driven by the language itself, but by the Arab people’s desire to empower it. Claims that Arabic is ill-equipped to give birth to scientific and technological terms are a fallacy, as the true blame lies with the people, who have neglected their native tongue. As the gap between language and development grew, the Arab people resigned to using foreign vocabulary, thus alienating the Arabic language from its children." Dr. Ghanem said, "The cultural strides seen over the past centuries were strongly supported by translation. Translations of the ancient sciences of the Greeks, Persians, Indians, and others accelerated the growth of the Arab-Islamic civilisation during the first Abbasid period." He continued, "In the past, Arabs went beyond translation to comprehend and develop the knowledge they encountered across all fields. It is widely known that Ibn Sina’s ‘The Canon of Medicine’ was taught across many European universities until the turn of the 16th Century, while Al Khwarizmi was the father of algebra and logarithms - a term derived from his name - and also established the fundamentals of calculus. "With the passage of time, Europeans achieved the Renaissance, building on translations of Arab scientific achievements, then entered the Age of Enlightenment followed by the Industrial Revolution and so on. Meanwhile, the Arab world drifted with the tide, which it continues to do to this day." He added, "In pursuit of knowledge, Muhammad Ali Pasha sent missions to Europe in the 19th Century, and, in 1836, established the School of Foreign Languages, headed by Rifa'a Al Tahtawi, who also headed a mission to France, where he wrote his famous book ‘A Paris Profile’. European monarchs used to send their children to study in Andalusian universities, while today, English is the dominant language in the world, becoming the language of America, Canada and Australia, as well as one of the official languages in India and other countries. Schools and universities in some Arab countries have made English a priority, offering only English medicine and science courses, while students pursue it to gain career advantages, however, the actual problem lies in their poor skills in Arabic. With that, the need for Arabic translations became reduced, entailing the need for urgent solutions." Shedding a light on his experiences, Al Ghanem said, "While having studied engineering in English and received my PhD in economics from foreign universities, my passion for the Arabic language and poetry never subsided and inspired me to translate various genres of poetry from and into Arabic. One of the things that attracted me to translation was Edward Fitzgerald’s translation of ‘Rubaiyat’ by Al Khayyam, as part of a course we took in college. Translation promotes intercultural awareness, offering us the chance to progress and other cultures the chance to explore the wonders of the Arabic language." International Translation Day is celebrated every year on 30th September. First established in 1953 by the International Federation of Translators (FIT), the event was only officially recognised in 1991. It was launched in appreciation of the profession of translators, who endeavour to break down language barriers and make different cultures more accessible for everyone. |
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