Translating the Bahá'í Writings into Languages Other Than English

Given its belief in the transformative power of the Word of God, the Bahá’í Faith places great importance on the translation of its sacred writings into as many languages as possible. Translations into languages other than English need to be approved by the National Spiritual Assembly of the country in which they are published, but are often initiated by individuals, meaning that institutions and individuals have distinct and complementary roles in the translation process. Most of these translations are from English versions—usually those produced by Shoghi Effendi—of the original Bahá’í writings in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. As linguists who have been involved in translating and reviewing translations of the writings, the authors have encountered a number of challenges in their translation work, including questions about spelling, terminology, and the politeness strategies employed in the original work, as well as idiosyncrasies of English usage. We illustrate these issues and possible approaches to dealing with them using the case of a short passage from Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings translated into Japanese and Tok Pisin. It is hoped that this article will lead to exchanges among translators and reviewers and possibly to the development of a database of exegesis literature on the Writings and other aides to translators.