History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 122 - Founded in Translation - From Greek to Syriac and Arabic
22 snips
Mar 30, 2013 AI Snips
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Dubbing Films As A Translation Analogy
- Adamson compares German dubbing choices to medieval translators choosing tone and formality when moving texts between languages.
- He uses this everyday example to introduce how translators decide interpretive subtleties across cultures.
State-Backed Translation Campaign
- The Abbasid translation movement systematically rendered Greek science and philosophy into Arabic over more than a century.
- This sustained, state-supported effort made Aristotle, Euclid, Galen and others central to Islamic intellectual life.
Practical Motives For Translation
- Practical needs like medicine, engineering and astronomy motivated many translations alongside prestige and rivalry motives.
- Astrology/astronomy (ilm al-nujum) had strong practical and political utility for the Abbasids.