Knowledge Integration and Translation Laboratory, is a scientific, academic research Laboratory of Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh, it was founded on June 02nd,2009, and conducted by a researchers group of” translation and religious text” in the same University. This group is consisted of a number of Master students and PhD researchers.
This Laboratory is a scientific Centre specialized in issues of religious text translation. It holds a new civilized project in the Quran translation, we depend on our teamwork to understand the Quran and its translation, In order to provide an accurate translation that is far from mistakes and gaffes which have been made in previous translations, either because they were done by individuals or for the lack of terms consistency principle .These previous translations may lead to distort the image of Islam and falsify facts in the target language and culture, Intentionally or unintentionally.
In order to achieve this venerable objective, we have set up three stages in this project:
The first Stage:Preparing a database of Quranic verses
We will analyse every single verse in this stage; its words, expressions, meanings, links, the general and the specific, the logical and the emotional, references and other types of mental relationships like the cause and effect, various reasons related to its contexts, and other topics that represent the Quran composition which is based on the secrets of different sciences and knowledge through a network of science and linguistic legitimacy, which represent the real entrances to understand the Quran and its own language.
These sciences have been limited as nineteen and they have the following order: Interpretation, Quran’spurposes, Quran’s meanings and expressions, Quran’sreadings, stopping, starting and commas, Descent’s reasons,Mecci and Madini ,the Duplicator and the copied, the Islamic Jurisprudence, strange things in Quran, the problem of Quran and its similarities ,Quran Ambiguous things,Sunnah and the Companions’ effect , Biography of the Prophet, …..
This stage aims to analyse every verse on its own by collecting the scientific materials that are related to it. This can be done by going back to those nineteen sciences which cannot be necessary all present in one verse. In this stage, our work will be just on the sciences that analysed and studied the verse.
We have started working on the project with the participation of a number of researchers from both The Arabic studies department and Islamic studies department. Every researcher has been assigned with five verses to analyse by going back to those nineteen sciences, the work has been done under the supervision of Professor who reviews the work. We have started by AL Fatiha “the Opening Chapter”.
If this verse’s relevant information is collected, it will be used as a database that would make it easy and accessible for those who are interested in analysing any verse, they can find this information along with its sources that are complimentary with the database.
This database will be attached to two dictionaries; the first is specialized on Names in Quran, while the second one is about Quranic terms that we prefer to keep in the same Arabic form and pronunciation in the target language such as : Zakat , Salat ,Jihad ,Br ….etc
The second stage: Translating the verses’ database to a number of international languages, especially the English language
In this stage, we will translate the scientific subject of the database, which was collected in the English language; so now, we can provide it in both; the Arabic and the English language to make it easy for the non-Arabic researchers use as a reference for helping them overcome the difficulties and challenges found when rendering the Quranic text. Note that the English database will be taken from the Arabic one in order to ensure the safety of information from any distortion or interference.
The Third stage :Translating the Quranic text based onthe meanings of the Quran Database
This is our ultimate goal, our objective is to provide a Quran’s meanings translation to the western specialist reader, and to University libraries on the form of a Quran translation attached with an English Encyclopedia, a Dictionary of names and a terms Dictionary. When a researcher wants to analyse a Quranicverse, they would go back to the provided English database of verses that has what has been written about the verse in the linguistic and legitimate sciences. The researcher can also look up untranslatable Quranic terms in the dictionary in order to understand them and borrow them to the target language later.
The Scientific Objectives of the Project:
- A precise rendering of Quranic meanings according to the Arabic sciences approach and legitimate sciences approach; which will help the translator understand the meaning of the divine text, so he/she can translate that correctly to the target language with its linguistic, cultural and inimitable representations.
- Show harmony between the Quranic term and its meaning,by matching the right term with itsappropriate meaning, and understanding different compositions of the term in order to have a complete idea about the discourse’s message.
- Master the target language (the English language),and the source language (the Arabic language) with a good mastery of both cultures.
- Make sure we are working with the …….principle which is the ultimate goal in Quran translation; this principle is related to the cause and the effect, the introduction and the result, which control the whole Quran translation process .
The practical procedures
- Learn from the experience of a number of foreign institutions in strengthening the objectives of this project, by signing partnerships with International Institutions and Universities that are interested in the subject of Translation and Knowledge Integration.
- Provide opportunities for oral and written communication between institutions, differentpersonae, by both organizing visits, or in the form of invitations that are intended for this purpose.
- Organize cultural activities for the benefit of the project at its various stages, through workshops, or sustainable Trainings.
- Create aQuran translation bulletin, which is interested in the Quran translation on both theoretical and practical parts .The bulletin is going to discuss Religious texts translation issues, and it will be an information forum for the laboratory, with the goal of making our project widely known in Morocco and around the world, in order to have more cognitive communication at the level of practice and application.
- Establish a knowledge bank-based on the database-It facilitates the search for those who do not have the paper database-A work cell will be composed with the participation of researchers from different majors to contribute on creating this knowledge bank.
Other sections such as: Lectures – Articles – Religious text translation issues – Seminars –Workshops …etc. do not need any description because the data is inserted directly in them.
The word laboratory
Knowledge Integration and Translation Laboratory, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Cadi AyyadUniversity, Marrakesh, has launched this website as a media gatein order tobuild communication bridges between the Laboratory and those who are interested in the scientific and cultural field or in particular those in the translation and knowledge fieldwhether they are in our country or in other parts of the world. Our aim is to contribute as much as possible in strengthening the relationship between researchers from different domains, Students, Professors and Intellectuals. This relationship will adapt trust, and encourage communication between different parts about the scientific research issuesthat are related to Translation or specifically the ones about the strategies and techniques needed to translate the religious texts.
Our Laboratory has always considered the World wide web network (Internet)as a vital tool to highlight the laboratory’s main objective that frames its path, and try to implement its project that has been worked on away from the media, this project can been considered as the project of the whole community ,and it is everyone’s duty to contribute with their skills and abilities to develop it.It would have been so difficult to promote this Laboratory by few members ,that is why we have been always happy to get new qualified and ambitious researchers and thinkers who can contribute in building solid and strong pillars for this Laboratory .
The efficiency of this website that we have just launched will definitely help achieving these goals, as well as the expectations that we have by setting it up, along with the roles that is going to play in exchanging opinions and ideas with others .The website also will help us get more researchers and receive their comments and views about the subject that we are working on at the Laboratory.
We are praying Allah; this website will help realize our objectives of enhancing science, spreading knowledge, and for the good of this nation.
The Aims of the Centre
“Al Kindi Centre for Translation and Training” is a scientific and cultural center that comprises a small number of professors, researchers and specialists in various scientific fields from inside and outside of Morocco, particularly in the area of translation and training in different skills as well as scientific and practical competencies. From this perspective, Al Kindi Centre has drawn up a plethora of strategic goals, and the most significant of these are:
• Creating a framework for communication and developing relationships among various actors in different fields of study and scientific academic research in general, and in the realm of translation and training specifically.
• Supporting the scientific and cognitive research as well as contributing to the advancement of culture in Morocco.
• Encouraging researchers and translators to publish their research and writings.
• Supporting personal and scientific capabilities and competencies of youth and researchers.
• Promoting the act of culture towards developmental and purposive initiatives.
• Improving the status of Arabic using various means including teaching the language to non-native speakers.
• Encouraging the translation movement and contributing to training individuals concerned with translation filed.
• Setting up translation projects (translating books, articles, research papers and documents).
• Contribute to improving the scientific and practical level of those who help in animating scientific and cultural activities in different domains.
• Opening up to universities to hold partnerships so as to carry out scientific projects, or organizing cultural activities as well as scientific conferences.
• Publishing a journal specialized in translation field.
• Researching knowledge integrity among sciences in terms of both; theory and practice.
• Contributing to establishing an encyclopedia of the meaning of the holy Quran
The Center’s Equipments
The Centre tries hard to achieve its objectives in all legally permissible means, among which we find:
1- Organize forums, seminars, scientific and cultural conferences, study days and training workshops.
2. Publish a specialized magazine.
3. Publish individual and collective researches in the fields of: “translation and training” and “knowledge integration” between the various fields of science and knowledge.
4. Create partnerships with different national and international institutions.
5. Provide consultation and expertise.
6. Establish a specialized library in translation in Arabic, French and English languages.
7. Teach Arabic to non-native Arabic speakers.
8. Organize training courses in translation.
9. Teach living languages.