The role of translation in modern communication with respect to languages, its obstacles from the point of view of Al-Jahiz

Abstract

Al- Jahiz is considered to be an outstanding Arab prose writer and

scientist who wrote on a wide range of subjects and provided many insightful

opinions. Among the important topics he dealt with was translation and

translators. He talked about the translator in terms of his knowledge of the

field concerned and his knowledge of the source language and the target

language. Al- Jahiz pointed out that there is a conflict between the source

language and the target language. Each one of them tries to exert an influence

on the other.

Al- Jahiz discussed how the type of science and the lack of translators

who translated in the same field affect the translator’s work; the more difficult

the science is and the less translators who translated in it there are, the more

mistakes the translator is likely to make and the more difficult it will be to

translate the text.

This study tries to investigate Al- Jahiz`s opinion regarding the

aforementioned matter and his argument about it which was based on

translated texts from the Abbasid Era.