Translation in the Arab World: The Abbasid Golden Age

The Translation Movement (800-1150 CE) refers to the efforts of rulers of the Abbasid dynasty to translate many texts from Persian, Hindu, and classical Greek into Arabic.That tradition is characterized by its longevity (lasting almost three centuries), its geographic range (manuscripts were translated from Sanskrit, Persian, and Greek), and its disciplinary breadth (translations covered different fields of knowledge, ranging from literature, history, and mathematics to medicine, pharmacology, and philosophy).No other culture had ever invested so much time, effort, and money in translation.Moreover, translation into Arabic at that time required a great deal of creativity and innovation.The Arabic language, rich in literature and poetry, was made even richer by the Qur'an, but Arabs remained sceptical of the cultural intrusions that resulted from literal translations.