German Scholar Underlines Two Important Points in Quran Translation
Stefan Friedrich Schaefer, a scholar, researcher and translator from Germany and a graduate of Al-Mustafa International University, made the remark in an interview with IQNA on the occasion of the International Translation Day, marked every year on September 30.
He said one of the two points is clarifying the goal of translation based on which the meaning should be conveyed correctly and the second is who the readers of the translation are going to be.
He said translating and interpreting the Quran is primarily aimed at promoting the understanding of Islam and the Quran and in doing this, the translator’s understanding of the text is influential.
Schaefer further said that in translating Islam’s Holy Book, one needs to refer to Arabic lexicons and find the exact meaning of many words that are in the Quran but not in use in today’s Arabic.
He referred to the problems in German translations of the Quran and said he finds them especially when teaching the Quran in the German language.
Asked about his Quranic activities, especially in the field of translation, he said that his main aim at the moment was to translate Shia works and articles to make them available to German readers.
These translated articles are available on the website Wikishia, he said, stressing that in the age of information technology, it is necessary that more and more Islamic contents are produced and be provided to readers.
He added that he plans to embark on translation of the Quran into German in the future.
Read More:
Schaefer, 63, was born in Germany’s Offenbach and lived in his hometown until the age of 45.
In 2002, he converted to Shia Islam and has since written and translated several books and many articles on Islamic and Quranic subjects.
He currently lives in Iran’s holy city of Qom and has adopted the name Abdullah.
4239040
