Translation
Vs.
Violence and Fail

By Salim M. Ghadban


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Carsten Niebuhr got this dress as a gift after taking a translator role over for the Imam of Yemen.





Table of Contents
Pages

1- An introduction on theory and method……………..

2- An explanation………………………………………………..

3- A resume…………………………………………………………


4- My translation…………………………………………………..

5- A comment on my translation……………………………

6- A comment on the English version ”Arabia Felix” translated by James and Kathleen McFalane . the equivalent pages………………………………………………-

7- Conclusion……………………………………………………


















1- An Introduction on Theory and Method

Translation plays an important role in connecting people with each other. Moreover, its role can be decisive in stopping violence and achieving success. It seems clearer when we face a cultural clash like the one after the events of 11^th September, or during the war in Afghanistan. In this paper, we face a cultural clash between the Europeans and Yemenis. Translation opens the possibility for both parts to come in contact with each other, and express their feelings. It also precludes the fail of the Danish expedition.
Good translation creates balance in human relationships. In order to translate, first, there should be a lingual problem that precludes such a contact. Second, one should use the right kind of translation for the definite situation. Translation uses macro and micro strategies. Macro strategy can be overt or covert translation; it can be direct (literal) or oblique translation, semantic or communicative translation, and it can adopt a norm of acceptability or a norm of adequacy. It can also be source-text oriented or target-text oriented. Micro strategy can be direct transfer, direct translation, oblique translation, explicitation, paraphrase condensation, adaptation, addition, substitution, deletion, or permutation.
The paper in hand translates seven pages of the book “Det Lykkelige Arabien” into English, shows the translation of the same pages in the book “Arabia Felix”, and comments on both translations, giving the reader a chance to compare them. It also casts a light on the role of translation played by Carsten Niebuhr in Yemen. One notices that the text is something between a literary text, and a documentary one. Therefore, one uses explicitaion, and formal language. In general, the text is simple and does not include so much figurative language. One tries to be loyal towards both the writer of the text and the target text receiver. What helps in the translation is that one has read the whole novel several times. We have here two written translations, but the translation taken by Carsten Niebuhr in the novel was an oral translation, which requires a little different qualification. For example, Carsten Niebuhr’s Arabic dialect was different from the Yemenite one; so he had to use an interpreter during his translation. For your information, classic Arabic should be understood in all Arabic countries, but every Arabic country has its dialect, which differs more or less from another Arabic country’s dialect, depending on how far in distance they are away from each other. One does not know precisely what kind of Arabic Carsten Niebuhr used. He could have used the dialect of Syria, as it is a more civilised country than the other Arabic ones.









2- An explanation

The book “Det Lykkelige Arabien” by Thorkild Hansen, is translated into English by James and Kathleen McFarlane in 1962. One can ask why this book definitly and why it is useful to translate it into English.
“Det Lykkelige Arabien” is one of the most famous books in Denmark. Thorkild Hansen is very famous and had written many successful books before he dies in the late 1960’s. The book in hand is relating the story of the Danish expedition to Arabia between 1761-1767. This expedition was anything else rather than a normal expedition. First, it was the first of its kind in the Western area. Second, and what makes it most interesting to know about is that of the six expedition’s participants only one person could return alive to Denmark. It is Carsten Niebuhr. The participants are in conflict with each other already before they leave to Arabia. Carsten Niebuhr, with his special personality, and by taking the role of their leader, and taking the role of their translator could cause the success of the journey. “Det Lykkelige Arabien” is a very important book in Denmark. It really deserves spending a good time on it.
Why into English? Because English is the most widely spread language in the world. Most of the people who speak English share almost the same culture with the Danes. They also share history to some extent, and they feel superior over the other nations in the east. So it could be very important to deal information about the eastern countries. It is worth mentioning that the expeditions were very important at that time, the time before colonisation. Many countries, later on, started expeditions to collect information about the countries they want to colonise. Other countries used expeditions for purposes of knowledge and colonising at the same time.
The time of the Danish expedition to Arabia was a hard time in Denmark. The Danish government had an economic crisis. King of Denmark has sent the expedition to support knowledge, but also to discover if there were economic resources in Arabia so Denmark can think of colonising it and get out of the economic crisis.
The Danish expedition to Arabia has cost the lives of 4 scholars and their servant, but it did not cost Denmark so much money. Moreover, the expedition was facing fail, but Carsten Niebuhr succeeds by using his abilities in Arabic to save the expedition. He continues without complaining his work after the death of all his colleagues. One cannot read “Det Lykkelige Arabien” without becoming fond of Carsten Niebuhr. If “Det Lykkelige Arabien” was translated into English at that time, it would be of much help to the English when they started colonising. Anyway, translating the book to “Arabia Felix” in 1962 would help everyone who leaves his country and intends to stay for many years in a foreign one. It would show him the proper way to deal with the inhabitants and the way of living there.
Why I chose precisely this part of the text to translate? Capital 6, part 5, ps. 278-285. This part of the text has two important points: first, it has the evidence that the expedition participants face serious problems with the inhabitants in Yemen, that they were throwing stones against them; “, as long as they are, also here, confronted by inhabitants attacking them wildly by throwing stones against them”[1] second, it has the solution for this problem represented in Carsten Niebuhr taking the role of a translator during the audience with Imam of Yemen, resulting in prosperous relationship with the Yemenis. “ It is Carsten Niebuhr who is the only one that can speak Arabic, who leads the expedition.”[2] ”Niebuhr does not talk about that their pleasure has cost them the lives of two companions, that their stay in Mocha has cost them 50 Venetian ducats, that the inhabitants in Jerim and Damar have received them by throwing stones against them.”[3] And after the audience with the Imam the situation differs.
Add to this that the Danish expedition after the audience was very kindly received of all public officers. Nobody press them to get money. Nobody throw stones against their windows, but the Imam himself has let them live in a country house, where they never have lived in such a comfortable one through their journey. And now he sends them an invitation for at stay a whole year as his guests in the city.[4]




























3- A Resume
4-
On 4^th January, 1761 a Danish expedition sends to Arabia following king of Danmark’s instructions and financed by him. The participants are: 1-Profrssor Friedrich Cristian von haven, Philologus, 2-Professor Peter Forsskål, Physicist and Botanist; 3- Engineer-lieutenant Carsten Niebuhr, mathematicist and Astronomist, learned Arabic for two years ; 4- Dr Christian Carl Kramer ; 5-Herr. George Wilhelm Bauernfeind artist and engraver; And 6- their servant Berggren. The participants are already in conflict with each other before they leave Copenhagen on the Danish war ship “Greenland”. Because of the storms they face, von Haven is afraid to die and leaves the ship in Helsingforse to travel by land and join the other participants in Marcellie in France. Only one person return alive to Copenhagen from this long journey. It is Carsten Niebuhr.
Von haven is the only one who tries to save his life, and he is the first one who dies in Yemen in Jerim. Only one month later Peter Forsskals dies on 13^th July 1763, in Jerim. Carsten Niebuhr becomes the actual leader after the death of von Haven and peter Forsskål. He is the only one now who can speak Arabic. At the beginning, in Yemen they are received very well. But later on the situation is deteriorated. People doubt them and their doing, they start following them and throwing stones on them in many different places also sometimes when they return home to sleep. The situation only becomes better after Niebuhr’s audience with the Imam of Yemen when Niebuhr speaks in Arabic in the meeting and explains, in his own way, why they came to Yemen and denies that they face difficulties. Niebuhr’s dialect in Arabic is different from the dialect in Yemen so he has to use an interpreter. Anyway, his speaking in Arabic seems to be decisive for his mission. The Imam of Yemen seems happy to receive them. The participants in the journey give small strange gifts to the Imam, while they also receive many valuable gifts from him. The events crones by receiving an invitation from the Imam to stay in Yemen for a whole year.
The last of Carsten Niebuhr’s colleagues dies in India on 10^th February, 1764. After that he travels back to Denmark taking the long land way in contradict with the original plan. He intends to discover and register especially the inscriptions in Persepolis in Iran. He is not in a hurry, he travels through Oman, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Cypress, Turkey, and through Europe until he arrives in Denmark on the evening of 20^th November 1767.








4- My Translation
1 From “Det Lykkelige Arabien“
2 4^th edition 1980. Cap. 6 Part 5. P.278- 285

nPlease note that the numbers are the numbers of lines in my versio.

3 Peter Forskål’s illness and death have caused more delay to the expedition 4 travel’s plan in a period of time where there was already no more time to loose. 5 Now there is only one month before the English ships leave Mocha, and they 6 until now did not travel over half way to Sana. Already the day after Forskål’s 7 burial, Niebuhr, Baurenfeind, Kramer and Berggren appear therefore from 8 Jerim in order to continue the journey in between the mountains. Considering 9 the circumstantiality, their decision means that they have to continue bravely, 10 but it is not a brave small group of people that go now and tackle with the last 11 stages, which separate them from the big final goal of the journey. The 12 happenings in Jerim have frightened them so much. When Forskål, who is 13 incomparable in his strength with any one of them, could reach such an end, 14 what fate so waits for them? During two months, Niebuhr has already 15 suffered of regular fever attacks, and during the last week, Baurenfeind and 16 Berggren have been a little sick. When does the fever set in seriously? Today? 17 Tomorrow? After one week? Under what suffering they have to spend their 18 last hours in this unhappy Arabia Felix, where death maybe will attack them 19 without even giving them the chance to be buried?
20 Carsten Niebuhr, in particular, is strongly struck. In Forskål, he has lost 21 that man who was the most bound to him of all the expedition’s participants. 22 When Von Haven died, it was their mission in common, which would give the 23 big project a goodly result. During more than one year, Forskål has moreover 24 been expedition’s factual leader; it was him who negotiated with the Arabs, it 25 was him who planned and guarantied the application of the plans. Now 26 Niebuhr stands alone with the big responsibility without another help except from 27 Baurenfeind and Kramer, both older than himself, but weak and without 28 initiative, unable to express themselves in Arabic. Prospects of improvement 29 thought to be hopeless, Niebuhr begins to suspect seriously of that some of 30 them will ever come back, and this suspicion leads him to another concern. If 31 the whole expedition now fails, what then will happen to their papers? Who 32 would take care of the package, which contains Forskål’s collections? Niebuhr 33 brings seven packs with him containing Forskål’s left scripter, and added to 34 them his diary about the journey, which long ago it had filled more than one 35 thousand pages, his map, his astronomical tables, and regarding 36 Baurenfeind’s, it contains all his drawings of landscape, cities, dresses, plants, 37 and animals. Who would take care of these materials and bring them to 38 Copenhagen, if all died? And what would one say at home, if the whole 39 expedition disappears here between these mountains without even leaving 40 one result after them? Is it meant that the goal for their years of work and 41 effort should be void?
42 The son writes: ”This was the only period in the journey when my father 43 succumbed in depression and let it prevail for long. He found himself at last in 44 a state of a bit resignation which recurrent attacks the Europeans in the warm 45 countries when they are hit by illness and sadness.” Niebuhr’s despondency 1 can also be traced in many places in the expedition’s outward story during the 2 stages after Jerim. There was suddenly remarkably long distance between the 3 names on his map, and he rides closely by the villages Hoddafa and Dh’afar 4 without visiting them and copying the Himyaritic inscription, which he has 5 been told about, and which moreover became the aim of many expeditions 6 during the 19^th century. When they arrive to Damar, in the evening of the 13^th 7June, after their first travel day from Jerim,, the otherwise scrupulous treasurer 8 avoids entering the public hostel. He rents a house for a whole month, only so 9 that the expedition can spend one night in peace, a precaution that seems not 10 completely unnecessary, as long as they are, also here, confronted by 11 inhabitants attacking them wildly by throwing stones against them. What is 12 worse is that when Berggren, the next morning, became very sick that he 13 could not continue travelling, the others leave him to his fate, and let him stay 14 alone while they ride to continue their journey.
15 Without organisation and solidarity, sulky and hesitatingly, each of them 16 sunken in his own perspectives, Niebuhr, Kramer, and Baurenfeind travel 17 over now the last stretches of their long journey. They hardly pay attention to 18 the crowd of curious Arabs who escort them under the pretext of that they 19 would consult Dr. Kramer. The rainy season began in earnest. Every 20 afternoon the thunderstorms strike between the mountains, and wet their 21 clothes, and their baggage. They sit on their donkeys bowed and silent, while 22 the fever burns their skin, and the rain pours down. So, in the evening, on the 23 16^th July, when nothing can be more hopeless, the weather clears up, and the 24 sun breaks through, and they ride among some high-class country houses 25 surrounded by wide gardens with grapes and trees with walnuts, pear, and 26 apricot, which are already ripen. The leaves of the trees drop after the rain, 27 and it also seems that the puddles on the way, each has got its spot of that 28 read colour of the sunset. One more road curve, and the landscape is open in 29 front of them. The three men stop and look down over all the houses of the 30 valley. The smoke from the fireplaces down there ascends and mixes with the 31 rain damp, which is still over the sides of the mountains. Everything is so 32 calm; a bee-eater sits peacefully on a twig in the foreground. It takes them a 33 time before the tired travellers actually realize what their eyes are seeing. The 34 town down in the valley is not a dream caused by the fever. It is real like the 35 fresh earth smell in the air around them, the sound from the dropping trees, 36 the green bee-eater which flies and flies, and returns to the same twig. It is 37 not mirage. It is Sana. It is the capital of Arabia Felix. After two and a half 38 years of travelling they at last reach the destination.
39 Niebuhr, Kramer, and Baurenfeind are still arrayed in their working 40 clothes which were put on them since Egypt, and which gradually became so 41 ragged and dirty, in such a way that with their ravaged by sickness faces they 42 rather like a band of starving robbers. They agree that they cannot ride into 43 the Imam’s city in these rags, and enter a close café cottage in order to change 44 clothes. The smartest they have are some Turkish dresses, which they have 45 got in Constantinople. They are not in particular suitable to these localities, 46 but they are clean and not torn. After they wash and clip their beards, they 47 take the new clothes on, and continue refreshed down along the mountain 48 road. After sometime, a noble Arab passes by riding on a horse and meets 1 them. He halts over for them and presents himself in selected terms. He is 2 Fakih Ahmad’s scrivener. Fakih Ahmad is Imam’s state’s minister. He tells them 3 that they already have been waiting for them long ago, and after a rumour 4 about their arrival has spread to the city sometime ago, the Imam ordered him 5 to ride and meet them to welcome them, and tell them that His Excellency have 6 placed a country house for them where they can stay as long as they find it 7 comfortable for them.
8 The Danish expedition’s participants spend that night in good beds for the 9 first time in a long period. And after they sit to have the morning café, the 10 following day, the Imam’s gifts arrive as a welcome. It is a whole procession. 11 There are five living sheep, three camels loaded with firewood for the kitchen, 12 an amount of candles, sacks with rice, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables. At 13 the same time, the Imam says sorry for that he cannot receive them before 14 two days. He is busy in paying the salaries to his troops. Niebuhr complains in 15the diary about the postponement. He still thinks about the English ships, and 16because it would be impolite to go in the streets in Sana, before the Imam has 17received them, the postponement means that they have to spend two days 18 without work in their country house. But it gives them in return a chance to 19get better. Their spirits rise, and now it happens that Berggren arrive from 20 Dammar. The strong Swedish seems bleary-eyed, and he admits that this trip 21 was harder than the war in Prussian, but there was not another exit for him 22 than to continue towards Sana. At the time people would see him, they simply 23 refuse to let him a house. They were afraid that he maybe would die among 24 them. In one place, people gave him, moreover, a donkey to ride and continue 25his way for only to get rid of him!
26 The expedition’s participants are all collected with exception of the two 27 who ever will see Sana. Niebuhr wander about in the noble neighbourhood, 28 and eats grapes, and release himself from the sadly thoughts about the past, 29 and the concern of the future: “For a long time we had not have such a 30 comfortable house. The house contains sheer beautiful rooms, and is 31 surrounded by a garden with all kinds of fruit trees, which are 32 apparently growing wildly. It was a garden with that Arabic style, with a 33 water spring and basins, and where one searches for shadowing, rather than 34 wandering.”
35 After two days, on the 19^th of July, they are received as appointed by the 36 Imam. Already in the morning, Fakih Ahmad’s scrivener arrives, and leads 37 them to the palace where big arrangements have been taken to receive them. 38 That sunny yard is congested with horses, servants, and officials. And first, 39 when Imam’s stable over chef arrives, opening a passage for them with a big 40 stoke in his hand, the expedition’s participants succeed in reaching the 41 entrance. It is Carsten Niebuhr who is the only one that can speak Arabic, who 42 leads the expedition. Here, the describing of the meeting between the 43 peasant’s son from the wet marshland and His Excellency the Imam of Arabia 44 Felix is told by the peasant’s son himself in that form, which he never became 45 tired of repeating it:


1 “The audience was held in a big rectangular hall under a vault. 2 In the middle, there was a water spring, which its water columns 3 reached 14 feet in the air. Back the basin there was a dais, and back 4 again another dais where the Imam’s throne was placed. The whole 5 ground around the basin as well as the daises was covered with 6 Persian carpets. The throne itself was made of only a square dais 7 covered with silk fabric, and over it three bolsters were placed, one 8 at the back, and one on each side of the Imam, and all were 9 upholstered with very valuable fabrics. The Imam himself sat on the 10 throne between the bolsters, and with his legs under him in an 11 eastern way. He was dressed in a light green dress with long wide 12 arms. On both sides of the chest, he had a big golden bow fastened 13 to the gown., His sons stood on his right side , his brothers stood on 14 his left. His state’s minister Fakih Ahmad stood in front of him on 15 the dais, and one step forward down, the Danish expedition’s 16 participants stood now. Along the walls, and completely until the 17 door, the noble Arabs stood in two long rows.
18 We were lead there to the Imam in order to kiss his right hand 19 from outside and inside, and his dress over his knee. The first, and 20 the last, are rather normal when one stands over for Arabic 21 princes. On the reverse, it is extraordinary a big honour, when they 22 stretch hand for a foreigner, and let him kiss it from inside. Deep 23 silence reigned in the whole hall. But at the same moment one of us 24 touched the Imam’s hand, a herald shouted some words, which 25 could mean something like “Allah[5] preserves the Imam.” His shout 26 was repeated of all the people present, who were thought to shout 27 the words with their lungs full force. Because I was the first, and 28 thought only of reciting my complements in as good Arabic as I can, 29 and eye the big display, which I have not set such a thing in any 30 other place in Arabia, so I cannot deny that I became a little 31 frightened of this violent noise, in particular, when they began to 32 shout just at the same moment I touched the Imam’s hand. I rapidly 33 comprehended the situation, and when they also began to shout, 34 when my travel’s companion touched the Imam’s hand, I 35 discovered that this ceremony is going on in the same way when 36 we at home greet a man by shouting “hurrah.”

37 It is difficult for Carsten Niebuhr to understand the dialect of Sana, and 38 he under the following conversation with the Imam has to use a translator. 39 Because he prefers not to go in details regarding the motives of their journey, 40 he claims that they are Danish, and they have travelled over The Red Sea 41 because it is the shortest way to the Danish colony “Trankebar.” Under this 42 part of journey they would visit the Imam’s wide land, which is famous for its 43 richness and smartness. Niebuhr does not talk about that their pleasure has 44 cost them the lives of two companions, that their stay in Mocha has cost them 1 50 Venetian ducats[6], that the inhabitants in Jerim and Damar have received 2 them by throwing stones against them. He says, that he cannot detain an 3 eulogy of that security, with which they could wander on the Imam’s roads, as 4 well as that hospitality, with which they were received everywhere. So he gives 5 a sign to the others and shows their collection of strange things, primarily the 6 magnifying glass, and the telescope. The proved circus numbers drags forward 7 to an extra show. The Imam sees somebody go on their heads, and lice changed 8 to monsters. Niebuhr shows their barometer and compasses, some of 9 Baurenfeind’s drawings, some copperplates, maps, and a map over sea. At last, 10 he stretches gifts to the Imam and Fakih Ahmad consisting of watches, and 11 different physical instruments left by Forskål. Everything is received 12 graciously. When they again come back to the house, and the garden with the 13 water springs, each of the participants receive a purse which contains 99 14 comassi[7] or three speciedaler[8] in change. The cashier thinks a little over the 15 strange gift: “It was strange that the Imam sent us money only in change, but 16 because one in the market has to buy everything in cash so that it could be a 17 good behaviour from the Arabs’ side. The meaning is that we spare troubles 18 of changing money.”
19 After the audience with the Imam the journey participants are allowed to 20 wander freely in the capital, and Niebuhr, instantly, starts working on a map 21 over the city. The rumour of their arrival has been long ago spread among its 22 inhabitants. And he, in his work, is strongly annoyed by crowds of curious 23 people, so that he cannot continue his work in taking the angle measurements 24 with his aster lab and his compass, but otherwise comes back to his old way 25 from Egypt, and goes in the streets from one end to the other, while he 26 pretends as nothing has happened. When the map over the city is drawn, he 27 searches to form a general view over the commerce of the city, a work that he 28 in old days used to carry out in common with Forskål. He seeks out the 29 comprehensive market’s quarters, and describes the separate alleyways 30 where people trade with firewood, charcoal, iron, grapes, corn, butter, salt, 31 and bread. Almost always, only women sell the last in Arabia. It is moreover a 32 particular market where old clothes changes for new. There are stalls with 33 Turkish, Indian, and Persian articles. There are herbs and medicine, dried and 34 fresh fruits, as pear, and apricot, peach, and fig. There are streets for 35 handicraft with blacksmiths, shoemakers, saddlers, tailors, hatters, 36 stonemasons, goldsmiths, bookbinders and scriveners. In most places, fresh 37 vegetables are abundance; of grapes only, one can count up to 20 different 38 kinds.
39 The capital of Arabia Felix surpasses all expectations. Sana is really a 40 paradise on the earth. Add to this that the Danish expedition after the 41 audience was very kindly received of all public officers. Nobody press them to 42 get money. Nobody throw stones against their windows, but the Imam 43 himself has let them live in a country house, where they never have lived in 44 such a comfortable one through their journey. And now he sends them an 1 invitation for at stay a whole year as his guests in the city. Sana is the main 2 destination of their journey. Before, they have in Cairo spent a whole year in a 3 capital, so there should immediately not be anything against saying, yes, thank 4 you, for the Imam’s magnanimous invitation.



5- A Comment on My Translation
One can notice the following:
This Translation is written in RP variety.
It is written in present tense as in the source text (Det Lykkelige Arabien).
One uses an overt translation macro strategy. The readers are aware that they are reading a translation. The source text has a high standing position in the source culture, and the author is also very famous in his country especially among the literary elite. In general, it is a direct translation in a communicative way, where the translator produces on its readers an effect, which is close to that obtained on the readers of the original text. One adopts a norm of acceptability, where the translator subjects himself to the norms of the target text and its culture.
One uses many micro strategies. For example, both direct translation and oblique translation are used according to the situation one finds himself in.
A norm of acceptability is adopted; the norm of the target text and its culture is considered and preferred; taking in consideration that the source text is telling a story about a journey to Arabien before about 250 years.
Explicitation is used whenever it is necessary.
Direct transfer is used when it is adequate to give the intended meaning.
One clings to the formal expressions as this text is swinging between a literary text and a documentary one. Examples: circumstantiality (My Translation, P 7. L.9), arrayed in (MT, P. 8 L. 39), place (MT,, P.9 l. 6), gown (MT, P. 10 L.14) detain, (MT, P.11, L. 2) eulogy (MT, P.12, L.3), primarily (MT, P.11, L.5) instantly (MT,P.11, L.20) commerce (MT, P.11, L.27), and medicament .Old days words are used to give the target text the spirit of the past. Examples: scrivener, (MT, P.9 L.2), dais (MT, P. 10 L.3& L.15).
And now to the details: examples on the micro strategies.

6- A comment on the English version “Arabia Felix” translated by James and Kathleen McFalane, the equivalent pages.

One notices that this text is written in past tense in contradicts with the present tense of the source text.

7-Conclusion
Translation builds good contact between people. In many cases, it precludes fail like the case discussed above.
Translators use macro strategies and micro strategies depending on the kind of the text. They can sometime agree on the same strategy, but sometimes they use different strategies without affecting negatively on the trueness of the translation.

[1] My Translation p. 8 ls. 10-11.

[2] My Translation p.9, ls. 41-42.

[3] My Translation ps.10-11, ls. 43-44/1-2.

[4][4] My Translation ps.11-12 ls. 40-44/1.

[5] God

[6] Old Money

[7] Old Arabic Monts

[8] Old Danish Money.