Writer urges unified system to translate foreign words

Dr Hussam Al Khatib, the winner of this year's King Faisal International Award for his work in Palestinian literature, has urged Arab countries to find an effective unified mechanism for translating new technical terms into Arabic before such terms are used chaotically throughout the Arab world.

Addressing a symposium on the protection of the Arabic language organised recently in Sharjah, Dr Al Khatib encouraged all the establishments and organisations concerned throughout the Arab countries to prepare standard translations for all new technical and scientific terms and expressions into Arabic before they are translated haphazardly by unprofessional people or used as they are without translation.

"We should also take the initiative and meet the need for new technical terms in Arabic, giving the top priority for the most common scientific fields," noted Dr Al Khatib. Dr Al Khatib stressed the need for unifying the translation of technical terms and expressions at local, regional and pan-Arab levels.

"If we do not get such unified translations of technical terms and expressions, then we should not blame our children for shunning their mother tongue, the Arabic language, and opting for foreign languages."

Dr Al Khatib said that despite the fact that individual translators contribute largely to the translation of new technical terms and expressions into Arabic, there is still a real need for the support of organisations to organise efforts and establish mechanisms for producing ideal translations and getting these unified throughout the Arab countries.

"It is time that we put an end to the disorder and confusion caused by some unprofessional translators who introduce incorrect translations of new technical terms into the Arabic language every day," said Dr Al Khatib. He added that the Arabic language is flexible enough to absorb any new expressions.

Dr Al Khatib noted that translation was the major factor that led to the modern Renaissance era in the Arab countries. "The impact of translation might not be so clear in the literary field. However, it is very clear in the scientific field, since most of the scientific materials in the Arab world are mere translations from other languages."

Dr Al Khatib pointed out that the percentage of scientific translations is still very low compared with other kinds of translation, with these comprising only 14 per cent of the translation works overall, throughout the Arab countries.

He said that the need for translation in the Arab countries will increase rapidly since Arabs remain "consumers of sciences, not producers of them". He explained that the current efforts in the field of translation in the Arab countries are unable to meet the need to cover the latest developments in the scientific production centres worldwide.

Dr Al Khatib believes that "there is no linguistic purity" anywhere in the world at the moment since languages throughout the world try to absorb as much new terms and vocabulary as possible.

"The English language has been superior in this field for its fast response to any new development, and accepts any new concept in its original tongue. The introduction of Arabic words such as Mujahideen, Jihad, Haj, and Intifada is but an example of the flexibility of the English language," noted Dr Al Khatib.

Dr Al Khatib said that the best way to protect the Arabic language is to develop it "from a burden on the shoulders of its speakers into a stimulus and real joy for them. We should serve our language scientifically if we want it to serve us in all walks of life".