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Development in all its aspects, whether cultural, intellectual or related to the construction of humanity, depends on science, and no one disagrees that humanity is the focus and foundation of a cultural renaissance in order for humanity to become capable of the development of scientific creativity, and the question arises: how can such creativity be achieved given the cultural and scientific gap between our Arab reality and the Western Renaissance? Perhaps one of the most important reasons for narrowing this gap is scientific translation, which imparts science and knowledge to us and provides us with a new foundation to train Arabs scientifically and cognitively.
According to available statistics, the current situation of translation in the Arab world is alarming, the number of translated books does not exceed 5% of the total number of publications in Arab countries, while scientific books related to basic sciences may reach 0%. According to the book “Translation in the Arab World: Realities and Realities”, most translations are concentrated in humanities, entertainment books or educational books, as they are the most popular and profitable areas for publishing houses, while scientific translation is almost absent. The challenge … According to the statistical comparison that is obviously significant”, by the late Arab translator Shawqi Jalal.
Qatar News Agency (QNA) explains scientific translation, which includes (basic or pure sciences, earth sciences, life sciences, applied and technological sciences), its importance, why it is rare and almost non-existent, and how it can be promoted to become a tributary of Arab scientific creativity to achieve the renaissance we desire.
In this context, some translation experts emphasize the growing importance of scientific translation, which is increasing due to the knowledge explosion in all areas of life and the tremendous technological progress. It is the recipient of scientific knowledge, not the producer of scientific knowledge, a situation that is essentially contradictory to the serious deficiencies we suffer in the field of translation.
Dr. Mujab Imam, head of the Translation Department of the Arab Forum for International Relations, said in a statement that despite the great efforts made by translators in scientific translation and the encouragement of the Arab Forum for International Relations and various parties, the translation work in the field of scientific translation is still insufficient, which shows that the annual translation conference organized by the Forum is dedicated to discussing scientific translation and is interested in strengthening work in this area.
He added that scientific translations are already facing a shortage, and there is another problem of translating the Arab scientific heritage into other languages and the contribution of Arab civilization to the process of cultural leap in Europe, and he said that the Forum Arab and International Relations Department seeks to focus on this aspect in cooperation with relevant cultural institutions in the country. The Arab League noted that scientific publications are increasing sharply, and the number of foreign scientific sources is increasing sharply. Culture is diversifying, and there is a serious shortage of scientific translators. Therefore, we need a clear plan for the selection of books for Arabic translation.
In a similar statement, translator Dr. Youssef Ben Othman, professor of modern philosophy and history of science at the University of Manar in Tunisia, confirmed that the current state of translation of Arabic science and scientific production in the world is clearly flawed. Based on his research conducted in some translation institutions in the Arab world, such as the National Translation Center of Egypt, the Institute of Translation in Tunisia, the Arab Translation Organization of Lebanon and the Arab Center for Unity Studies in Lebanon, it is clear that these institutions, which have been publishing for decades, produce no more than 3% to 7% of the total scientific translations.
Dr. Yusuf bin Osman, translator of the trilogy of writer Alexandre Quirier (Studies on Galileo – Studies on Newton – From the Closed World to the Infinite Universe), said that some publishing houses do not have series dedicated to science or the universe. Series on the history of science, while series on literature, art, political thought and humanities are generally available. In general, this leads to a lack of real scientific production, which is one of the main reasons why we as Arabs are lagging behind. Although the humanities are important, there is a greater need for scientific works because Arabs and Muslims made a great contribution to civilization between the eighth and fifteenth centuries AD, and Arabic is the language of science and a universal language, which made a creative contribution to science.
Translator Yusuf bin Othman, winner of the 2018 Sheikh Hamad Prize for Translation and International Understanding, said that building a knowledge-based society requires scientific production in Arabic. He stressed that Arabic and its terminology are capable of creating new terminology in sync with scientific production and producing science on their own.
Regarding bridging the gap between the scientific reality of the West and the Arab world, he said: We must look back at the efforts made by our predecessors in translation, because the Arabs in the past were not limited to dissemination, but research and innovation. Therefore, today we must translate Western R&D work into Arabic and make Arabic a scientific language, which will help improve Arab scientific productivity.
Dr. Fouad Al-Qaisi, senior lecturer at the Language Center of the Graduate School of Doha, explained in a statement that the reality of translation reflects the reality of language policy throughout the Arab world. New phenomena that we are not used to are beginning to emerge, such as the decline of Arabic in scientific production and the status of Arabic in school education (especially international education) and professional contexts. These changes explain the decline of Arabic in scientific production and the status of Arabic in school education (especially international education). Scientific translation is more difficult than literary translation because the recipient bears the burden of keeping up with foreign language publications, which makes foreign language reading popular in science and professions.
Dr. Al-Qaisi pointed out that the reasons for the decline in scientific translation are not limited to weak planning and language policies; rather, it extends to the scarcity of translators who specialize in science and achieve translations that promote public understanding of science. Scientific translation requires a high level of technical skills and scientific knowledge as well as different scientific cultures to ensure that the content is clearly communicated to the audience.
He continued, “Beyond numbers and statistics, reading and learning in one’s mother tongue is the lifeblood of any education system or educational program. The educational and cognitive losses when reading and learning in a foreign language are greater than when learning and reading in one’s mother tongue. There is also a group in the Arab world who do not master foreign languages in the sciences, but who have the intellectual capacity to create, innovate and participate in knowledge production if they have the opportunity to acquire foreign knowledge through translation.”
Dr. Kasi stressed the importance of creating scientific archives and recording knowledge in the native language so that it is accessible to all native speakers. Hence the importance of translation for the localization of knowledge. Stressing that without creating a solid scientific foundation for all Arabic speakers, it is impossible to achieve a scientific renaissance, and translation can shorten the time and effort required to achieve this goal, and also help break down the personal barriers represented by mastering a foreign language.
He also stressed the importance of a solid language policy in determining priorities for scientific Arabic translation, noting that these policies must be in line with the intellectual and civilizational projects of each country and the Arab world collectively. Thus, the role of the Scientific Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee and the Academy of Arabic Language comes into play, noting the importance of translating major books on science and knowledge, keeping pace with important scientific publications and focusing on areas where Arab scientific research lags behind. Improving the level of translators in the scientific field requires promoting training courses and valuing their efforts socially and economically to encourage them to continue this important activity.
Mr. Mowaffaq Faiq Tawfiq, Interpretation Expert at Al Jazeera Media Network, said that scientific translation is considered one of the most important factors in the development of civilizations due to its prominent role in spreading science and knowledge among different civilizations. Scientific texts explain complex ideas in professional language and terminology that are not common to the public, and translators need to be proficient in these terminologies and have extensive experience in providing academic scientific translations.
Tawfiq pointed out that the professional nature of scientific translation has led specialized agencies and companies to seek translation services provided by professional translators who meet the above specifications and offer competitive prices in the translation market.
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