Role of translation in dissemination of Islamic civilization

[ameenalwardParticipant]

Role of translation in dissemination of Islamic civilization
 Studying a society for language, culture, knowledge and science of another society is deemed as one of the most important conditions of translation or translator. Translation had certainly a great role in dissemination of Islamic civilization. It is obvious that many books, sciences, culture and even Islamic civilization were translated and transferred to the east and west of the world. The Greek and Roman Empires defined the development of European people. But after the fall of the Roman Empire, 400-500 AD, this culture and civilization became lost as Europe entered a period called the Dark Ages. It was when the Islam Caliphate Empire was at its peak in achievement and the first of world civilizations, just before and after Haroun al-Rashid (Baghdad) that they translated the Greek and Roman cultures and then transmitted it back to Europe, who had lost it, that Europe began to climb up again and became the top civilization many centuries later. But the advanced aspects of society continued to come from Arabia(Syria, Yemen, and Egypt) for a long time, even though the Crusades era. The Muslim war machines and even swords were more advanced than the Crusaders, and it was really Salah-al Din who taught the Europeans “chivalry” which became a big cultural aspect in the European Middle Ages. Furthermore, we are all fully aware that the Muslim scholars and scientists had peaked in science, knowledge and development, particularly in medicine and mathematics and other sciences in the past centuries. These accomplishments were translated and transferred to other languages and won great interest and development by scholars and translators from other languages. Undoubtedly, Quran also mentioned everything that happened in the past and what will happen in the future. So, the scholars and scientists of east and west translated and studied the sciences that were written by the scholars of the Islamic civilization over long centuries in medicine, mathematics, philosophy, history  and sociology and analyzed and developed them for their societies. In actuality, we need to translate the treasure of knowledge that our religion holds to those nations who do not know about it or falsify it. The conclusive evidence that the translation plays a great role in transferring the culture of a nation or truth of a something to other nations is clear to everyone today within transferring the sciences and cultures of West to our societies. These cultures and sciences have won a very significant response from all age groups in the Arab world. So, why there are no centers and cultural exchange programs to send the graduate cadres from departments and faculties of translation to those countries for practice and application as this exists in the west world? They have established lots of centers and across-cultural exchange programs for the same purpose, irrespective of the negative aspects.
 
In summary, we cannot ignore the role of translation and competent translator also in spreading an idea or religion or culture to a society. There are still a lot of our culture and religion that needs to be transferred to various languages all over the world.  As a result, this is clear evidence that there is a significant lack of potential competencies and outcomes in the field of translation within the technology in the Arab world today, contrariwise to the period of prosperity and development of the Islamic civilization which has experienced an expansion in all aspects of life. So, translation had played a significant role in that period without doubt.  As a result, how come the translators of past are better than the translators of present in terms of translating and transferring the reality of this religion and Islamic culture to all over the world, despite thousands of graduates in translation today? What is the contribution of this science “Translation” to rebuilding of the present and industry of the desired future today in the Arab world?

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