Translation has always played a major role in communication and acquaintance between nations, and it is the pillar of intercultural dialogue and scientific and knowledge exchange through the ages. The movement of translation to and from the Arabic language in the Middle Ages had a great impact on the transfer of many sciences. Here is the evolution of the translation movement through the ages:
The Islamic era: During the Islamic conquests, Muslims learned a lot about the culture of the Roman and Persian countries, and this prompted them to learn their language and transfer their knowledge to the Arabic language. Islamic scholars devoted their efforts to translating what would benefit them from other sciences.
The Umayyad Era: Khalid bin Yazid bin Muawiyah had a prominent role in the emergence of the translation movement and translators, as he was interested in requesting books on medicine and chemistry to be translated from Greek, Coptic, and Syriac into Arabic.
Abbasid Era: Translation flourished in the Abbasid era, when the Baghdadi society consisted of many cultures and languages, so there was a need to translate books of philosophy and logic from Greek into Syriac and then into Arabic to support the method of dialogue between different cultures.
Europe: Until the eleventh century, Europeans knew little about Greek sciences through Arabic translations, which they knew when dealing with the Andalusians. In this era, the Europeans worked on translating Arabic sciences into their language. Many Europeans flocked to the cities of Andalusia to receive Arabic and Islamic sciences in their original language. They also established private translation schools that devoted their efforts to translating the most prominent Arabic books in various fields.
The Europeans paid a lot of attention to Ibn Rushd’s works and philosophical books, and they included them in the curricula of European universities. They were also influenced by literary works, and this changed a lot in the form and themes of European poetry.
The Ottoman era: the Turks present Arab culture, translation movements and scientific research stopped, and philosophical and literary works disappeared.
The Europeans: Europeans prospered in various sciences after their mastery of the Arab sciences, and they completed the march and put their mark until they became a beacon of science and a destination for researchers and scholarships.