The Contemporary Landscape of Arabic Translation: A Postcolonial Perspective

Abstract

Arabic translation assumed an unrivaled identity and dignity from the mid 8th century up until the Mongol’s conquest of Baghdad in 1258. This period is termed as the Golden Era of Arabic Translation[1] on the grounds of the superb achievements of Medieval Arabic translators and their Abbasid patrons. It is widely celebrated in the context of Arabic literary and intellectual tradition, and attracts more interest and notice than any other stage in the history of Arabic translation. One of the most prominent problems of contemporary Arabic translation is that present-day Arabic translators are viewed and assessed in contrastive relation to their venerable Medieval counterparts. Given the successive political upheavals that overwhelmed Arabic history following the fall of Baghdad in the eleventh century, and ending up with the violence escalating nowadays throughout several Arab countries, contemporary Arabic translation ought to be viewed and assessed in light of the historical facts and present-day challenges that might have impeded its anticipated development. In this essay, I intend to outline and map from various perspectives the landscape of contemporary Arabic translation primarily in terms of the achievements and challenges that face Arabic translators nowadays. [1] The Golden Era of Arabic translation actually “started during the reign of the Umayyads (661-750) and reached its zenith under the Abbasids (750-1280), particularly, during the time of [the Caliph] Al-Ma’mun (813-833)” (Baker, 2001, p. 318). For further reading see (Gutas, 1998, pp. 75-104).