Ibn Sīnā’s ‘kitāb ɔal-qānūn fī ɔaṭ-ṭibb’ : a translation of sections of the ‘Canon of Medicine’ by Ibn Sīnā into Maltese

Abstract

This research project consists of a translation into Maltese of a selection of passages of 'kitāb ɔal-qānūn fī ɔaṭ-ṭibb', the 'Canon of Medicine' (henceforth Canon), written in Arabic by Ibn Sīnā in the eleventh century. This study is an annotated translation that includes a commentary on the translation strategies and choices that as a translator the researcher had to identify and implement in order to arrive at a best possible translation. This commentary will include some discussion of the translation assignment, an analysis of aspects of the ST, and a reasoned justification of the kinds of solutions the researcher arrived at for particular kinds of translation problems. The data collected will be the chosen texts from the Canon whereas the analysis and interpretation of this data shall be the researcher’s own translation and notes taken during the process, from which the own observations will be extrapolated. The focus of this study will be to investigate the various issues that emerge during the translation process. Such issues may be semantic, linguistic, cultural, and historical. Since no Maltese translation has ever been concluded, this Arabic-Maltese translation will be useful for Maltese native speakers who will be able to read it in their native language. The objective of this study is to provide the target text (TT) readers access to excerpts of the Canon through the translation done directly from Arabic into Maltese and not from a pivot language, such as from English; the TT readers will thus have a rendering in Maltese of the ST. The goal is to provide a first translation of a selection of passages from Ibn Sīnā’s Canon that could eventually initiate a project for the translation of the whole work. The purpose is for this translation to function as a reading text for those readers with an interest in reading classical Arabic literature, Medieval texts, or texts pertaining to medicine in the Medieval Islamic world, even though this translation is not aimed for medics as a medical textbook. The intention is for it to be a time-travel reading experience. The other function is for this translation to be an exemplary work in the process of translation of Medieval written text, both for students of Arabic, as well as students of Translation Studies specializing in translation for specific purposes. Indirectly, the methodology in completing this work could also prove useful for Arab speakers studying Maltese. The researcher believes that there is no one single correct translation and there are instances where the choice of words in the ‘feel’ and ‘flow’ of the text is subjective to the translator.