A Critical Appraisal of Certain Twelver Shiite Texts in English Translation: Some Requirements and Suggestions

Translation of Islamic, particularly Shiite, texts from major oriental languages into English is of paramount significance in dissemination of Islamic teachings in the world. It follows that training translators of Shiite texts is a career in which it is expected only of universities to prove their academic competence and scholarly performance. In contrast, Shiite seminaries have long assumed other tasks, not much related to training translators. The critical appraisal of certain Shiite texts in English translation reveals that not all of them have been successful, hence inappreciable, for several reasons. The present paper tries to highlight some problem areas and certain aspects that might improve the current translation trends and situations.