englischArabic translations of the Bible exemplify the complexities of translation as a linguistic operation, and they also illustrate the intricate aspects of their embeddedness in particular cultural and social settings. They are particularly related to multiconfessional and multilingual backgrounds, and thus represent the potential of translation as a means of creating modes of expression, ideas and concepts on the ground of a mediating process. This was the guiding supposition for a conference on “Linguistic and Cultural Aspects of Translation – The Arabic Bible”, held in Beirut in December 2008. This volume contains papers presented and results of the discussions during the conference and shows the interwoven character of different Bible editions during the last 500 years and before.
The translation of the Bible into Arabic combines interreligious, intercultural and historical aspects. Translating the Bible is related to multi-confessional and multilingual backgrounds which were – and are – particularly present in Lebanon. The translation of the Bible, again, seems to be part of a broader encounter be-tween Western and Eastern cultural products which accelerated from the 19th cen-tury onwards. The translation here implied agents from various cultures being en-gaged in cross-cultural transfers.
The conference held in December 2008 explored this fascinating process and its history, premises and achievements.
