09/07/2025 15:15
- 17:30
HALL: Lecture Hall 30
Proponent:
Badini F.
Chair:
Badini F.
Speaker:
Badini F.,
Stella F.
The study of Qur'anic translations, which is part of the broader field of Qur'anic studies, can be approached from a number of different perspectives. These include an examination of the role of translation in communities of believers and non-believers, an analysis of the political and economic relevance of translations, an investigation into the dissemination of a specific form of Islamic knowledge, an evaluation of Qur'anic rhetoric, and an assessment of the purpose of translation itself. In this panel, however, we will focus on the phenomenon of translating translations without any chronological or geographical limitations. Our aim is to understand the extent to which this phenomenon has spread throughout history and to identify the ways in which translators have influenced each other in their choices and methodology over time.
A textual analysis of both partial and complete translations reveals that some of the translations frequently presented as direct translations from the Arabic text actually rely on other, earlier translations. Some translations are merely influenced by past works, while others are exact translations of them. Their analysis and understanding of the level of influence of past works makes it possible to highlight particular issues related to the translators and their texts. These include whether or not the translators know the Arabic language and, therefore, the philological reliability of the work in translation; the prevalence of individual translations in a specific historical period; and the tracing of a genealogy - or a genealogy hypothesis - of the translations.
The aim of the panel is to investigate the phenomenon of translating translations in the field of Qur'anic studies, as well as the intertextual influences among the various translations. This examination is intended to elucidate the dissemination of this translanguaging choice and its ramifications, with a view to providing insights into the processes involved.