People began to accept Islam, both men and women, in large numbers until the fame of it was spread throughout Mecca, and it began to be talked about. (Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah , p. 117)
When the Apostle openly displayed Islam as God ordered him his people did not withdraw or turn against him, so far as I have heard, until he spoke disparagingly of their gods. When he did that they took great offence and resolved unanimously to treat him as an enemy, except those whom God had protected by Islam from such evil, but they were a despised minority. (Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah , p. 118)
Narrated Ibn Abbas: When the news of the advent of the Prophet reached Abu Dhar, he said to his brother, "Ride to this valley and bring me the news of this man (i.e. the Prophet) who claims to be a Prophet receiving information from the Heaven. Listen to him and then come to me." His brother set out till he met the Prophet and listened to his speech and returned to Abu Dhar and said to him, "I have seen him exhorting people to virtues and his speech was not like poetry." Abu Dhar said, "You have not satisfied me as to what I wanted." So, he took his journey-food and a water-skin full of water and set out till he reached Mecca, where he went to the Mosque looking for the Prophet, ... He then listened to the speech of the Prophet and embraced Islam on that very spot. (Bukhari: volume 4, book 56, number 724, Khan)
In fact, the translation of the sacred text-type had proven to be one of the most challenging exercises; yet it remains a highly prolific topic in the field of translation especially in these times of ideological crises and cultural conflicts.
The conference of The Sacred Text Translation aims specifically to address the cultural, linguistic and exegetical issues that arise whenever a translator undertakes the task of communicating the sacred contents of the Holy Scriptures in a different language. This conference considers questions as delicate as:
1.How does a translator (fail to) bridge the gap between a sacred text and the language to which this text is translated?
2.What linguistic patterns can the sacred text translation reveal that the translation of other texts cannot?
3.What is the relevance of the linguistic science to the sacred text translation?
4.What are the challenges facing the translation of the rhetorical and literary texture of the sacred texts?
5.Is exegesis a prerequisite to a sacred text translation?
Such questions would certainly be raised only in academic contexts where dialogue, tolerance and commitment to rational communication are stressed as the guiding ethical values. In fact, the ultimate goal of the conference is to bring to focus the often neglected role of the translating mediator in laying the grounds for a deeper and scholarly relevant concept of intercultural dialogue. Thus, one of the questions that the Sacred Text Translation conference is intended to motivate is concerned with the role which sacred texts translation can play in preparing a healthy atmosphere for intercultural dialogue.
The conference welcomes contributions to the sacred texts translation issue to be approached from a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary backgrounds including, but not restricted to: translation theory, cultural and intercultural studies, linguistics, exegesis, gender studies, interpreting studies and literary theory.
translation bridges the gaps between civilization