Symposium on: “The Translation Movement Between East and West" (2)

Symposium on:

“The Translation Movement Between East and West, with a Special Focus on the Late Translation Movement”

A) Intro

From the earliest periods of recorded history until today, translation has played a crucial role in disseminating scientific knowledge. The translation movement has been one of the most important and powerful tools in the exchange of knowledge and in the development of science.

During the medieval period, as a result of the famous Graeco-Arabic translation movement, Arabic emerged as a ‘lingua franca’ of scientific exchange. For most of the medieval and early modern periods, Latin was the ‘lingua franca’ of scientific exchange. Then, we started to see the reverse translation movement from different European languages into Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman.

In order to shed light into this important aspect of the scientific exchange and cultural fusion between East and West; and

In light of the success of the previous symposium under the title “The Translation Movement Between East and West” (which took place in November 2023); based on the proposals that came out during that symposium; taking into consideration that there were some aspects related to this topic that were not covered; and, in order to focus more on the Third Translation Movement, i.e., from Latin / European Languages to Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, Persian and other languages in the pre-modern and early modern era…

We are organising this symposium under the title “The Translation Movement Between East and West, with a Special Focus on the Late Translation Movement”.

B) The Speakers:

- ‘The 1st Translation Movement’, i.e., from Aramaic, Chinese, Indian, Sanskrit, Syriac and Other languages to Arabic, Persian and Ottoman language:

1. Prof. Kim Plofker – USA

2. Prof. Mohd. Sanaullah Nadawi – India

3. Dr Pouyan Rezvani - Iran / Germany

- ‘The 2nd Translation Movement’, i.e., from Arabic, Ottoman and Persian to Latin, Hebrew and Other languages:

4. Prof. Roberto Tottoli - Italy

5. Prof. Ezzeddine Mamiche - Algeria / Qatar

- ‘The 3rd Translation Movement’, i.e., from Latin / European Languages to Arabic, Ottoman, Persian and other languages in the pre-modern and early modern era:

6. Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu - Turkey

7. Prof. Johann Strauss - Germany

8. Prof. Cemil Aydin - Turkey / USA

9. Dr Haila Manteghi, Iran / Germany

10. Prof. Ahmet Tunc Sen - Turkey / USA

11. Prof. Tofigh Haiderzadeh - Iran / USA

12. Prof. Mabrouk Mansouri - Tunisia / Oman

13. Prof. Harun Küçük - Turkey / USA

C) The Programme:

Wednesday, 19 November 2025

09.00 – 09.45: Arrival and registration

09.45 – 10.00: Opening Words

10.00 – 11.45: SESSION I:

‘The 1st Translation Movement’, i.e., from Aramaic, Chinese, Indian, Sanskrit, Syriac and Other languages to Arabic, Persian and Ottoman language

Chair: Prof. Charles Burnett

Speakers:

1. Prof. Kim Plofker:

“Islamic-Indic interactions shaping second-millennium geometry”.

2. Prof. Mohd Sanaullah Nadawi:

“India’s contribution to medieval Baghdad”

3. Prof. Pouyan Rezvani:

“A comparative survey of the medieval Arabic translations of Ptolemy’s Almagest”

- Discussion (15 Minutes)

11.45 – 12.15: Coffee Break

12.15 – 13.30: SESSION II:

‘The 2nd Translation Movement’, i.e., from Arabic, Ottoman and Persian to Latin, Hebrew and other languages

Chair: Prof. Mohammed Salim Elawa

Speakers:

1. Prof. Roberto Tottoli:

“Translating the Qur’an in Europe (12th-18th century): between the exegetical reading of the original Arabic and Arabicized Latin or Vernaculars”

2. Prof. Azzeddine Mamiche:

"حركة ترجمة التراث العربي إلى اللاتينية بعد تأسيس الجمعية الآسيوية الاستشراقية في القرن التاسع عشر: دراسة ببليوغرافية وعلمية"

(“The Movement to Translate Arabic Heritage into Latin After the Establishment of the Asiatic Oriental Society in the Nineteenth Century: A Bibliographical and Scientific Study”)

- Discussion (15 Minutes)

13.30 – 15.00: Lunch

15.30 – 17.15: SESSION III:

‘The 3rd Translation Movement’, i.e., from Latin / European Languages to Arabic, Ottoman, Persian and other languages in the pre-modern and early modern era

Chair: Prof. John Brooke

Speakers:

1. Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu:

“Creating modern Ottoman terminology”

2. Prof. Johann Strauss:

“Who translated what in the Ottoman Empire (17th – 20th)”

3. Prof. Cemil Aydin:

“Politics of translating European science and ideas into Islamicate languages during the era of colonialism and decolonization”

- Discussion (15 Minutes)

Thursday, 20 November 2025

09.30 – 11.15: SESSION IV:

‘The 3rd Translation Movement’, i.e., from Latin / European Languages to Arabic, Ottoman, Persian and other languages in the pre-modern and early modern era

Chair: TBC

Speakers:

1. Dr Haila Manteghi:

“Knowledge transfer in early modern Mughal India: the case of Ādāb al-Salṭanat (dated 1609) by Jerome Xavier SJ and the Samarat al-Falāsifa (dated 1603) by ʿAbd al-Sattār Lāhōrī”

2.Prof. Ahmet Tunc Sen:

“Astral ambitions: translation and science in the reign of Mustafa III”

3. Prof. Tofigh Haiderzade:

“Translation as a vehicle for the reception of modern European science and technology in Iran: circumstances, actors, and outcomes”

- Discussion (15 Minutes)

11.15 – 11.30: Coffee Break

11.30 – 12.45: SESSION V:

‘The 3rd Translation Movement’, i.e., from Latin / European Languages to Arabic, Ottoman, Persian and other languages in the pre-modern and early modern era

Chair: TBC

Speakers:

1. Prof. Mabrouk Mansouri:

"حركة الترجمة المبكّرة من الفرنسية إلى العربية خلال القرن التاسع عشر ودورها في تشكيل الوعي العربي وتجسير التواصل الحضاري"

(“The early translation movement from French into Arabic during the nineteenth century and its role in shaping Arab awareness and bridging cultural communication”)

2. Prof. Harun Küçük:

“Early modern Ottoman translations in global historical perspective”

- Discussion (15 Minutes)

12.45 – 13.00: Closing Words

13.00 – 14.00: Lunch