On Translating Arabic: A Cultural Approach

G.E.B.O., 2000. — 236 pages. ISBN: 9770170216.In his new book, Professor M. M. Enani of Cairo University, a translator of great renown, proposes to discuss the translation of Arabic as a cultural exercise, distinguishing two kinds of Arabic – rather than levels – the archaic variety, with roots in the cultural tradition, though still indirectly alive, and the modern variety which, he convincingly argues, includes both the written variety (Modern Standard Arabic) and the spoken one (Egyptian Arabic) in spite of the vast formal differences between the last two. The semantic approach has required a combined cultural/diachronic handing of Key words and Expressions on both Arabic and English, as well as a great number of illustrative examples from the Quran, Prophetic Tradition, Arabic and English verse.The book presupposes a "working" knowledge of Arabic, but such s knowledge is not essential to the enjoyment of the fresh and stimulating approach.