Why it is important? There is a huge range of resources available in various languages. However, it becomes difficult for many people to access these resources in more than a few languages. Quality translation, accordingly, is inevitable to advance the knowledge and learning opportunities to new heights.
This is exactly what Muslims did when they acquired the leadership of the world in terms of scientific advancements and discovery. They translated the books and manuscripts from various languages to Arabic. In order to acquire books for the purpose of translating and then pondering on their contents, they did not care about any associated financial implications. It is reported that books, especially those which were not yet available to the Arabic readers, were considered so precious that the scholars and Khalifahs who used to buy them used to give an equivalent of their weight in gold to the sellers. This results in a huge influx of books and manuscripts to the Islamic empire who had a team of translators translating these resources in Arabic. In this manner, Muslims acquired a level of knowledge that was unparalleled. If anyone wishes to revive the glory of our Ummah, this is where the success rests - intellectual and educational revolution!
With this purpose in mind, we have prepared this bookshelf for our Muslim and non-Muslim audience. We sincerely hope that the readers would find this useful.
What do I need to do to translate a book? It is very simple. We have outlined the recommended steps below: - Select a book / manuscript / article that you would like to translate and familiarize yourself with its content. - Check if it is already translated or not. If it is not translated before or there is a need to translate again, follow the rest of the steps below. - Familiarize yourself with the guidelines and standards for translators. We have provided a few resources in this bookshelf. Please note that in certain cases, translators may need officially registered status. However, for general translation works, it may not be necessary. - Review some other translated works to understand the techniques and presentation methods that other translators have used. - Translate the book. If possible, also show the original text with the translation so that other bilingual readers can review that and provided valuable inputs and feedback. Note: You cannot add your own opinions and views in the translation. However, if considered necessary, you can add footnotes or hashia where applicable. - It is highly recommended to get the translation reviewed by another bilingual person to ensure correctness. - Once reviewed and validated, it is the time to disseminate your work! You can publish it on various publicly accessible websites including archive.org, slideshare.net, scribd.com etc. Australian Islamic Library would be pleased to receive a copy as well.
RESOURCES:
Books:
English - A textbook for translation Author: Peter Newmark Paperback, 292 pages Published November 1st 1987 by Prentice Hall Longman ELT Book Review: This major work by Professor Newmark is a textbook and a handbook of translation for English and foreign students working alone or on courses at degree and post-graduate level. Part one consists of a comprehensive discussion of most subjects and problems that arise in translating: the process of translating, text analysis, translation methods, text as a translation unit, translation procedures, cultural aspects of translation, use of case grammar and componential analysis, and the translation of metaphors. There are chapters on translation criticism and technical and literary translation, as well as revision, deadlines, exams and use of reference books. Shorter passages discuss puns, dialect and ambiguity. Part two consists of illustrative examples of translational text analysis, translation with commentary and translation criticism. The book also attempts to convey some of the excitement and the centrifugal tension of translating a challenging text. This book is considered to be a useful resource for upstart translators. However, some of the reviewers have highlighted that a few of the theories mentioned in this book are now considered to be out-of-date now. Moreover, the focus of the book, as evidence from examples, is more towards European languages. Though it has a few examples from German language, the orientation of the books is more towards an English-speaking translator translating from French. Read / Download (Printed by: Prentice Hall) Alternate Download Link (Printed by: SHANGHAI FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION PRESS)
English - Almost Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Translation Authors: Lola Bendana and Alan Melby Published by : Multi-Languages Corporation, Toronto, Canada (May 2012) Download
English - Becoming a Translator An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation Author: Douglas Robinson Second Edition, 2007 Published by: Routledge Book Review (Christina Delistathi, Brunel University) - Download Download
English - Contextualizing Translation Theories Aspects Of Arabic English Interlingual Communicationby Authors: Ali Almanna, Mohammed Farghal Published by: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015 Book review: Contextualizing Translation Theories: Aspects of Arabic English Interlingual Communication provides critical readings of available strategies of translating, ranging from the familiar concept of equivalence, to strategies of modulation, domestication, foreignization and mores of translation. As such, this volume demonstrates to the reader the pros and cons of each of these strategies within a theoretical context that is augmented by translational tasks and examples, most derived from actual textual data. Read / Download
English - Introducing Translation Studies Author: Jeremy Munday Paperback, 240 pages Published by: Routledge, 2001 Book Review: This introductory textbook provides an accessible overview of the key contributions to translation theory. Munday explores each theory chapter-by-chapter and tests the different approaches by applying them to texts. The texts discussed are taken from a broad range of languages - English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Punjabi, Portuguese and Spanish - and English translations are provided. A wide variety of text types is analysed, including a tourist brochure, a children's cookery book, a Harry Potter novel, the Bible, literary reviews and translators' prefaces, film translation, a technical text and a European Parliament speech. Each chapter includes the following features: a table introducing key concepts, an introduction outlining the translation theory or theories, illustrative texts with translations, a chapter summary, discussion points and exercises. Including a general introduction, an extensive bibliography, and websites for further information, this is a practical, user-friendly textbook that gives a balanced and comprehensive insight into translation studies. Download
English - The art of translating Author: Tolman, Herbert Cushing, Cauer, Paul Published: 1901 (University of California book digitization project) Pages: 79 Book Review: Though published in 1901, the book is still widely appreciated and considered culturaly important by relevant scholars. At the time of original publication in 1901, Herbert Cushing Tolman, Ph.D., was Professor of Greek in Vanderbilt University. The book contains following chapters: 'Reading the Original', 'The Work of the Translator', 'Translation Not Explanation', 'The Choice of Words', 'Primitive Signification Synonyms', 'The Order of Words Figures of Speech' and 'The Greek Particles'. Read / Download
English - The Translator’s Invisibility A History of Translation Author: Lawrence Venuti Published by: Routledge, 1995 Book Review: The Translator's Invisibility traces the history of translation from the seventeenth century to the present day. It shows how fluency prevailed over other translation strategies to shape the canon of foreign literature in English, and investigates the cultural consequences of the domestic values which were simultaneously inscribed and masked in foreign texts during this period. Lawrence Venuti examines alternative theories of translation which aim to communicate linguistic and cultural differences instead of eliding them. This book is an indispensable explanation of the way in which translation can be studied as a locus of difference. It will illuminating and helpful reading. However, the readers need to be aware that this book has been a source of much debate criticism as well, especially among the translation experts. Nevertheless, it has largely entered into the translation studies canon and is often required reading for translation students. Download
English - Translation A Must-Have Guide (A very useful book for beginners) Author: Center for Health Literacy Publisher: MAXIMUS Download
English - Translation in Practice A symposium edited by Gill Paul Published by: British Centre for Literary Translation, Arts Council England, The Society of Authors, British Council, and Dalkey Archive Press, 2009 Book Review (adapted from the review by Society for Editors and Proofreaders with slight modifications): This short book looks at some of the dilemmas and problems facing both translators and editors when preparing a book for publication in another language. Arising from a symposium in 2008, it aims to be a practical guide to the process of translating works into English. 'It is intended as an introduction … that will address the challenges … of literary translations.' It is on the 'literary translation' that this volume concentrates, where the translator's art comes into its own. This is where the translator lose sleep over delicate nuance, rhythm, syntax, metaphor and simile, dialect and slang in a way that those working on more practical documents do not, when it may be distinctly advantageous to pare the original, perhaps ornate, sentences down to a simpler, shorter structure. Nevertheless, there is much that the editor can gain from this book. It gives an insight into translation as an art form in its own right and how translators approach their work. It is also a useful overview of how the various members of an editorial publishing team – from commissioning editor to structural editor and copyeditor – fit together in this context and how they can work with an author and translator throughout the gestation of a new book. In six chapters, given substance by anecdote and direct experiences, it synthesises discussion on: how editors choose translators, translation contracts, establishing boundaries, translation problems and solutions, the editing process, ongoing relationships. In addition, bullet-point summaries are given of the translator's and the editor's roles. Note (from the library): A detailed reviewed by Elizabeth Gronlund (St. Lawrence University) can be downloaded from by clicking here. Download
English - Translation Quality Assurance - Past and present Author: Juliane House Published by: Routledge, 2015 Book Review: Translation Quality Assessment has become one of the key issues in translation studies. This comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of translation evaluation makes explicit the grounds of judging the worth of a translation and emphasizes that translation is, at its core, a linguistic art. Written by the author of the world’s best known model of translation quality assessment, Juliane House provides an overview of relevant contemporary interdisciplinary research on intercultural communication and globalization research, corpus and psycho- and neurolinguistic studies. House also acknowledges the importance of socio-cultural and situational context in which texts are embedded, and which need to be analysed when they are transferred through space and time in acts of translation but also highlights the linguistic art form of translation. The text includes a newly revised and presented model of translation quality assessment which, like its predecessor, relies on detailed textual and culturally informed contextual analysis and comparison. The test cases also show that there are two steps in translation evaluation: firstly analysis, description and explanation; secondly, judgements of value, socio-cultural relevance and appropriateness. The second is futile without the first: to judge is easy, to understand less so. Translation Quality Assessment is an invaluable resource for students and researchers of Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication, as well as for professional translators. Download
Translation of religious texts:
Urdu - Fun e Tarjuma aur uss ke bunyadi usool - Download
Urdu - Quran ke Tarajim wa tafseer: 1914 tak ka tanqeedi mutalia - Read / Download
Urdu - Usool At-Tarjuma - Pir Muhammad Chishtie Chitrali (Maslak Brelviyyah) - Read / Download
English - Features of Translating Religious Texts, Abdelhamid Elewa (Published in: Journal of Translation, Volume 10, Number 1, 2014) - Read / Download
English - Functionalism in Sacred Text translation (A quick overview of expectations from the translators of sacred texts of various religions and the process that is recommended to be followed) - Christiane Nord, UFS Bloemfontein, South Africa - Download
English - Problems in Translating Collocations in Religious Texts from Arabic into English - Bader S. Dweik & Mariam M. Abu Shakra (Middle East University for Graduate Studies, Department of English Amman, Jordan) - Download
English - Reflections on Translating Philosophical and Religious Texts - Paul L. Swanson & JAMES HEISIG (Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture in Nagoya, Japan) - Download
English - The Problems in Translating Islamic Expressions in Religious Occasions - Daoud Khammyseh (Mu'tah University, Jordan - Download
English - Translation and reflection on translation: A skeletal history for the uninitiated, Gideon Toury (Tel Aviv University) - Review: This work presents an interesting overview of how Hebrew texts were translated into other languages, including Arabic, and then translated back to Hebrew to meet the needs of the time. It also presents a brief background of the famous book Maqamat Al-Hariri which can be of interest to those who get an opportunity to study this in traditional Islamic seminaries. The article also presents an overview of the difficulties that the translators faced when translating to Hebrew from Arabic as the source language, Arabic in this case, is much more diverse in meaning and vocabulary for expressions as compared to Hebrew. I also enjoyed the way the author has explained the manner in which prefaces to books were generally written by translators and type of aspects which they considered necessary to apologize for, often following the traditions of that time - Download
English - Translating Historical and Religious Texts from Arabic into English: Problems and Solutions - Prof. Bader Dweik & Wafa’a Abu Helwah (Middle East University, Amman - Jordan) - Download
English - Translation of Religious Texts: Difficulties and Challenges - Rachid Agliz (Faculty of Letters, University Ibnou Zohr Agadir, Morocco) - Download
Standards, Ethical Considerations and documents from accreditation bodies:
American Translators Association Code of Ethics and Professional Practice - Download
Employment opportunies for National Accreditation Authority Translators and Interpreters (NAATI, Australia) - Download
Modes of Interpreting: Simultaneous, Consecutive, & Sight Translation (A position paper by: National Association of Judiciary Interpreters & Translators, USA) - Download
Language Services Guidelines 2016, Multicultural Affairs Queensland (Australia) - Download
Practical guide to organizing translation for community organizations, Queensland Government (Australia) - Download
Principles for high quality interpreting and translation services, NHS, England - Download
The ethics of translating and interpreting (A guide to obtaining NAATI, Australia credentials) - Download
Translators and Interpretters, A note from Queensland Courts (Australia) - Download
Urdu - Divan e Hafiz Ke Urdu Tarajim Aur Sharhon Ka Tahqeeqi o Tanqeedi Jaiza (PhD Thesis, Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan) - Read / Download
Allocation of cognitive resources in translation an eye-tracking and key-logging study (Kristian Tangsgaard Hvelplund - PhD thesis, Department of International Language Studies and Computational Linguistics, Copenhagen Business School) - Download
An analytical study of the process of translation (With special reference to English / Arabic) - PhD Thesis, University of Sheffield - Review: This study attempts to analyse the process of translation and to explore its phases (Analysis, Transfer, Synthesis) and its related aspects. This study may be of benefit to those interested in teaching translation and training would — be translators. The motivation for this study is the need felt for clarifying and describing the process of translation in order to improve the quality of translation and to design consequently an adequate syllabus for teaching translation. - Download
Best Practices in translation of legal documents - Ausit based on the NZSTI (the National Association of Interpreting and Translating professionals in New Zealand)- Download
Guide to Translation of Legal Materials (Prepared by: Consortium for Language Access in the Courts, Professional Issues Committee) - Download
Human Strategies in translation: What MT can learn from translators, Susanne Heizmann - Download
Introduction: Interpreting and Translation in the EU, Fotini Apostolou - Download
Investigating Ethnolinguistic Theory across Language Communities - Mohammed Y. Abu-Risha(University of Petra, Jordan) - Download
Islamic Religious expressions in the Translation of Naguib Mahfouz Novel “The Beginning and the End” - Mohammad Issa Mehawesh & Alaeddin Sadeq (Department of Translation and English Language, Zarqa University, Jordan) - Download
Professionalizing Public Service Translation and Interpreting in Spain - Carmen Valero-Garces. Mustapha Taibi, Alcalá University, Madrid, Spain - Download
Localization and the Training of Linguistic Mediators for the Third Millennium, Anthony Pym, Universitat Rovira i Virgili Tarragona, Spain (Paper presented to the conference “The Challenges of Translation & Interpretation In the Third Millennium”, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon, May 17, 2002) - Download
Main Issues of Translation Studies (a book chapter; explains the basics of translation studies and the overall field) - Download
Pragmatics and Translation, David Farwell, Stephen Helmreich (this article presents an approach proposing pragmatic mechanisms for machine translation) - Download
The effect of translation studies on comparative literature, Nuran Kir (Istanbul Aydın University, Department of Translation and Interpreting) - Download
The impact of translators' ideology on the translation process: A reaction time experiment - Ana Rojo López & Marina Ramos Caro (Universidad de Murcia, Spain) - Download
The importance of vagueness in translation: Examples from English to Portuguese, Diana Santos - Download
The Translation Process: A View of the Mind - Ali Darwish - Download
Theories of Translation and their Applications to the Teaching of Enalish/ Arabic-Arabic/ English Translating by Muhammad Shaheen, Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Ph.D. in the Department of Arabic, Faculty of Arts, University of Glasgow, 1991 - Download
Translation Studies: An introduction to the history and development of (Audio-Visual) translation - Betlem Soler Pardo, Profesora Ayudante, Universitat de València - Download
Translation as a Learning Method in English Language Teaching, Inga Dagilienė (Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania) - Download
Translation procedures, strategies and methods - by Mahmoud Ordudari (Cultural Aspects Translation Journal) - Download
Translation skill and metalinguistic awareness in bilinguals', Marguerute Malakoff and Kenji Hakuta (Book Chapter from: Language Processing in Bilingual Children, Editor: Ellen Bialystok, 1991) - Download
A study of the translation process through translators’ interim products, Masaru Yamada (Rikkyo Graduate School of Intercultural Communication) - The paper analysis an application of The Monitor Model with four translators - Download
What technology does to translating, Anthony Pym (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain) - Download
When Translation Makes the Difference: Sentence Processing in Reading and Translation - Pedro Macizo and M. Teresa Bajo (University of Granada, Spain) - Download
Other useful resources:
A Career in Translation and Interpreting, University of Sheffield (A good overview of the discipline, potential employment options, and job requirements) - Download
Best Practices in Translations for Legal Evidence: How to Protect Yourself and Your Clients, By Martin J. Cross - Download
What’s the Difference Between Interpretation and Translation? - Download
Writing for Translation, Published by: Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union, 2010 (A very useful resource for writers; it explains the ways and methods of writing that will facilitate the translators to translate those writings correctly) - Download