Transforming everything so that nothing changes… Might that be a definition for Translation?

Our article title is a well-known quote in the world of translation made by Gunter Grass. However, we are going to discover here what other translators and researchers in translation theories have to say about translation in the annual symposium on translation organized by the Syrian General Book Commission in cooperation with the Higher Institute of Translation at Damascus University, Arabic Language Academy, Union of Arab Writers and Syrian Publishers, and Damascus Center for Research and Studies (Medad).

“A translator ought to endeavor not only to say what his author has said, but to say it as he has said it.” John Conington.  This year’s Translation Symposium as well has endeavored to say what translators have to say. The Annual event was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and organized by the Book General Commission,  which commemorates this year with the occasion of the International Day of Translation on the 30th of September.

This year’s Symposium was entitled “Translating Terminology into Arabic”, and focused on its first day on the importance of enriching Arabic with scientific terms despite difficulties facing terminology translation, along with paying attention to the integrity of Arabic language during its transmission.

The opening speech, on behalf of Syrian Translators, was delivered by Dr. Nora Arisian at Al-Asaad National Library , which hosted the event.The Syrian translators’ message articulated the importance of translation in implanting and exchanging universal welfare, peace, justice and beauty values.

Whereas, Director of the Book Commission, Dr. ThaerZain Al-Din, emphasized in his speech the need to expand the circles of dialogue that will lead to the possession of the terms and languages of the age, bridging the gap between communities, indicating that “Translation has become a crucial requirement for human activity and has helped books to take wings toward universal literary and creative world.

The Minister of Culture, Dr. Labana Mashouh, who is a well-known name in the world of translation indicated in her speech that the Arabs were not dispassionate translators or passive recipients during their transfer of the creativity of other languages. She also affirmed that our sciences and philosophy reached the world through translation, highlighting the need to adhere to our Arabic language and enrich it with scientific terminology, since translation is the main pathway to possess knowledge and liberation from intellectual, technological and economic dependency.

The first session, which was run  by Dr. Zain Al-Din discussed  the main points related to term making and means of translation.  For instance, Dr. Mashouh addressed in her interference the translation of scientific terms, by defining basic principles of terminology translation and emphasizing the importance of the terms accuracy once arriving Arabic, noting that scientific terminology developed by Arab scholars played a major role in scientific advancement in Europe and the world.

Whereas, Dr. Rateb Sukkar focused in his research on the emergence of comparative literature terminology, the stages it went through and how it was translated into Arabic, pointing out that researchers came up with new terms that played a crucial role in cross-education with the Arabic language, reviewing difficulties encountered in translating this type of literature.

Dr. Zubaida Al-Qadi’s debate untitled  “Criticism’s French terms translation and its relationship to Arabic”,  referred to the problems in critical approach relationship to terminology and its role in clarifying critical approach to reach the recipient  reader through accurate and intelligible translation of critical terms.

For his part, translator Shaher Nasr pointed out the importance of enriching Arabic with terms and to the crucial role of language and translation institutions in the unification of translated terms and deliverance of approved terminology to both translators and recipients.

The symposium in its second day, discussed problems of translating theatrical terms, and term computerizing in the specialized translation services.In his debate Dr. Momdouh Khsara adopted linguistic heritage as a source of translation,  in addition to the usage of  Arabic etymology system in translating and deriving terms. Dr. Khsara, who is a professor and member in the Arabic Language Academy,  is an imminent researcher in terminology translation to Arabic, and has various publications in this term, e.g. “Term Translation”  that is a reference in terminology translation in Arabic world since this book has introduced a new methodology of terms derivation from Arabic language etymology system.

The symposium ended with a strategic plan for translation, proposed by Dr. Salim Alhassanieh, who initiated the debate by posing a question “Why are there developed and underdeveloped countries?” a question he faced as early as a freshman at Damascus University in 1970, so he begin exploring 33 development strategies for the “underdeveloped world” or “Third World”,  emphasizing the fact that “Even this nomination was given to us, we didn’t choose those terms that divide the world into developed and underdeveloped countries” he exclaimed. However, all those   developmental strategies were useless and incompatible with the particularities of the “Third World”, so ” We should depend on  self-reliance and autonomy in generating new developmental strategies” he added.  After 50 years of research and investigation professor Alhassanieh reached the result that making progress only comes through Creativity, either as individuals, groups, or organizations pointing out that all civilizations were established on the concept of Creativity and any advancement in any field relates significantly to creativity and innovation. For instance, herein the case of terminology translation Dr. Alhassanieh proposed a project _to innovate term translation into Arabic_ which consists of five elements.   

–  Creative energy

–  Systematic Mind

–  Data Technology

–  Strategic vision

All those elements should compose a unified visualization of the future of terminology translation into Arabic.Dr. Alhassanieh accentuated that most languages in the world do not have a particular formulation for future verbs, which is a bold indication that patterns of thought do not put emphasis on the future, and therefore people and languages think in the “past tense”.

It is noteworthy that Alhassanieh is former dean of the Higher Institute of Development Administration and has more than thirty publications in strategic management, a dictionary on management information systems. He is also working on a trilingual encyclopedia on creativity.

On the sidelines of the symposium, the Book Commission opened a book fair exhibition of their translated publications during the past years, which included various titles in politics, history and economics. In addition to novels and poetry collections translated to Arabic from various languages, with discounts reaching fifty percent.

Finally, without translation we would be living in provinces, bordering silence. Many conservative approach consider the work of translation as treason to the original text but never underestimate the efforts of a translator , being one and really knowing the exerted labor it needs to an almost satisfactory translation,  which is never by the way the case, since the translator should be a reader, an interpreter and a creator; all three in one.

Report: Lama Alhassanieh