Major historical translation movements in the Arab world and the contribution of translation in knowledge transfer

Abstract EN

Translation has always been primordial for cross cultural communication between nations.

It has contributed in the creation of a better understanding between communities by building a bridge through which civilizations, knowledge, beliefs and convictions are transmitted.

In this context, the present paper is divided into four parts.

The first describes the major historical stages that translation went through in the Arab world starting from the Islamic era including Umayyad period, Abbassid dynasty, going through the school of Toledo.

The second part identifies how the efforts of Arab translators contributed to the growth of the translation movement in Europe particularly in the Middle Ages, namely with the advent of calquing.

This period was characterized by a flood of translated works mainly from Greek origin.

The last part of the paper attempts to discuss the key role of translation in knowledge transmission.

Indeed, translators transfer knowledge driven by the desire to recreate a particular outcome in the target context.