| Author(s) | Omar A Sheikh Al-Shabab |
| Affiliation | Assistant Professor, Department o(Foreign Languages, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia |
| Title | The Place of Marracci's Latin Translation |
| Source | Journal of King Saud University. Languages & Translation. Volume 13, No 1. (2001/1421) |
| Abstract | Ludovico Marracci's Latin translation of the Quran, published in 1698, has not been studied by a native speaker of Arabic. The views and purpose of the work, as the title Refutatio Alcorani suggest~, have overshadowed the contribution of Marracci as a translator. In this paper, Marracci's contribution is examined in light of his methodological achievement. His main strategy is seen in a strong commitment to "exactitude". This is evident in his use of parallel grammatical structures. Marracci also employed communicative strategies as seen in providing explanatory subscripts and translating by "defimlt". His translation, therefore, shows features of difference, inadequacy and impossibility. The painstaking achievement of Marracci is seen in his influence on later translations of the Quran into European languages. In this subculture, which generated misunderstanding of Muslims and Arabs in the West, Marracci is central. But, his contribution to the field oftranslation, the paper argues, is everlasting. |
