Speaker: Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, University of Edinburgh
Title: The controversial vernacular Bibles in British-occupied Egypt
Date: March 31st, 2021
Time: 4-5 pm
Venue: on Collaborate Learn (through TS Bulletin Board) OR Guest Link: https://eu.bbcollab.com/guest/f3ebff11fbc34803aab1ef0b7e8b499b
Abstract: While research on the translation of religious texts in the Arabic context is mainly concerned with translations of the Quran out of Arabic, only a few studies have examined how the Bible has been translated into Arabic. This presentation visits two 20th-century translations of the Bible that were published in Egypt, by Western missionaries, under British rule. Interestingly, these translations were written in a vernacular form of Arabic that violates not only the literary conventions of Arabic writing, but also the conventions of religious writing/translation that existed among native Arab Christians for centuries.
Several translation scholars argue such literary and religious translations should not be considered as mere renderings but should be also viewed as texts ideologically manipulated to convey certain functions (e.g, Lefevere, 1992, and Nord, 2003). Based on this view, I will discuss in this presentation these two controversial Bible translations, the translators, and the turbulent socio-politico-cultural environment where they appeared, to assess this manipulation assumption, and find out what were the potential functions these translations were intended to convey through translational choices.
Bio note: Ahmed Al-Ghamdi is a second year PhD student in Translation Studies. He holds an MA in the same subject from Durham University. His research focuses on religious translation and translation-induced language change.