This document summarizes the challenges and processes involved in co-translating a religious poem by Emirati poet Ousha al Suwaidi from Arabic to English. It involved negotiating appropriate terminology and form through a network of Emirati actors. While an initial translation was produced, further consultation was advised. Issues around avoiding misrepresentation, respecting cultural and religious norms, and gaining necessary approvals from copyright holders and key figures emerged. The need for ongoing refinement through Emirati networks and specialists was highlighted to ensure a faithful yet accessible transmission of the original work.

1. Nuance, Change, Challenge and Networks in the Translation of Religious Poetry:
Cultural Bridging through Ethnographical Networking in the United Arab Emirates
The paper highlights the background of producing a context-sensitive co-translation of a key
Emirati religious poem. Fully sensible of the many challenges involved, the venture has no
guarantee of comprehensive success. The debt to intangible Emirati heritage is acknowledged
through a joint translation strategy, which helps to help engage non-specialists in the culture
and as the UAE repositions itself within the literary community, such efforts are being
increasingly recognized.
In order to make sense of my linguistic environment, a personalized co-translated collection
of poetry, negotiated through a network of key Emirati actors, was produced. This included a
religious poem and, as translators historically have not tended to be degree specialists, it was
vital to negotiate an appropriate form of words. As when writing of the Moors, Burckhardt
(1975) stated, “In order to understand a culture, it is necessary to feel affinity for its values...
at least in those which meet not only the physical but also the spiritual requirements of man,
without which life is meaningless” (p. 7).
To this end, the poetry of Ousha al Suwaidi, the “It Girl of the Arabs,” (Fatat al Arab), was
accessed, specifically ‫حمه‬ّ‫والر‬ ‫ّوم‬‫ص‬‫ال‬ ‫شهر‬ (Shahar al som wah al rahma). The Month of
Fasting and Mercy attracted me in a quest to understand the key Islamic pillar of Ramadan,
and this journey led to the Women’s Museum in Dubai and the Diwan. As theological
issues should not be misrepresented at any level, due diligence was used and linguistic,
behavioural and aesthetic components intertwined in consideration of the target language.
Contextual implications, the distinctive voice of a poet, together with a faithful processing
of the Emirati Arabic and Islamic ideals (al adab) all had to be combined. The use of
impeccable form with content found in the calligraphy in the Ousha Diwan, a tactile and
visual use of the medium, assisted the recording and publishing of her poetry to impact
readers.
Yet the framework of variables presented here is still a narrative without a final chapter.
The need to revisit it over time is evidenced and remains the research intention. The
sections below set out some of the historical concerns and modern day challenges involved.
The Spoken Word as Text
To begin with, transmission of religious texts originally may have been as an initiation into
a small community with a secret language, and losing this separateness often led to a fear
that the text might become corrupted when networks were extended. Later recording
through writing was then seen as another initiation (Goody, 1986).
The importance of records meant that purity of transmission was paramount, so texts were
memorized, informing the consciousness of the faithful (Schiffman, 1996). Additionally, the
seven or ten readers or transmitters (Qira’a) of the Qu’ran are a documented chain; this
means any dissemination of Islamic concepts is heavily scrutinized.

2. The need to avoid exploitation of the contributor, a consideration of copyright issues,
avoidance of bias reflected in the choice of terminology, correct positioning towards sources,
key actors and sponsorship, and an accepted translation process through scrupulous cross-
checking of English and Arabic were some issues that arose. Refreshment of the
authentication process, avoidance of cultural misunderstanding, and misappropriation of
intangible heritage were also major concerns.
Transmission: Nuance
To show both the continuing appeal of theological poetry and of the study of other literatures,
benchmarking of the many translations of Dante’s Divine Comedy proved useful. Possible
structural forms of prose, blank verse or rhyme is just one aspect of translation, and the
Paradiso opens:
La gloria di colui che tutto move
Per l’universo penetra, e resplende
In una parte piu e meno altrove. (Dante Alighieri, 1997)
Cary translated this Canto as:
His glory, by whose might all things are mov'd,
Pierces the universe, and in one part
Sheds more resplendence, elsewhere less. (Dante Alighieri, 2004)
While the Hollanders used:
The glory of Him who moves all things
Pervades the universe and shines
In one part more and in another less (Dante Alighieri, 2007)
Dante’s penetra has become “pierces,” or “pervades,” and while there is a certain amount
of license, the choices are faithful to the original text. The text continues to inspire scrutiny
today.
Nor was all translation treated as purely devotional within the ranks of the religious orders, as
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, a satire of the estates and “condiciouns,” shows. His use of
Chaunticleer in The Nun’s Priest’s Tale as a ready target of social banter, parading erudition
to court Pertelope, is hilarious. Similarly, attempts to translate Ousha’s work from a relatively
closed circle of Arabic readers to a mainstream English audience may yet amuse many.
Moreover, established networks originating in the Middle East, echoed in the recent co-
translation of The West-East Divan. The Poems, with “Notes and Essays”: Goethe’s
Intercultural Dialogues, have proven seminal (Bidney & von Arnim, 2000). Interest in co-
translation, comparative literature and religious poetry is refocused, yet as the search for
theoretical approaches remains a contentious one, such an exercise is not for the fainthearted
(House, 2014).

3. As Ousha’s Diwan in the Women’s Museum, Dubai, provides a welcome focus for host
culture, this intimate yet at the same time soft mass-mediation of vernacular poetry, what
Dueck might describe as a “poetical public,” celebrates inter-cultural communication (in
press, p. 13). Residents, tourists, and Emiratis are involved in the experience of her poetry
and its celebration. The collective response is both a private and a public action, and while
aspects of Eastern culture such as Perso-Arabic and Indian art, narrative and television also
influence Emirati performance, aesthetics and language, Emirati poetry is quite distinctive.
The lexis used in translating the poem attempts to avoid potential negative effects caused by
the asymmetrical relationship of English to Arabic, and an implicit social value was attached
to the exercise, rather than mere cultural inquiry. Following Newmark (1984, p. 61) and
“designed to satisfy both the author of the text and the reader of the translation in equal
measure,” the project has included translations of oral al Nabati poems which also had some
religious content.
Paired with Emirati Muslims, checking both on lexis and axiology, and finally drawing on the
language of the King James Bible and Christian devotional poetry, a final version was
presented. As Dante was familiar with the works of Muslim writers like Ibn Arabi, according
to Copleston (1950), classical precedent has been used to reference this translation process.
Capitalization of nouns such as, “Succour,” “Bounty,” and “Sustain” was used for the
properties of God in the poem in ‫حمه‬ّ‫والر‬ ‫ّوم‬‫ص‬‫ال‬ ‫شهر‬ (Shahar al som wah al rahma), suggesting
the beauty of the original text and also the seniority of the poet through an older version of
the English language. However, due to recent discussions, the translation is respectfully not
submitted here; the many challenges encountered in the translation are instead relayed.
Emirati Axiology: Change
Such a need to revisit the work was not unexpected. Although the original translation was
reworked and authenticated by bilingual academics prior to presentation, redirection
towards a much longer religious poem and others was advised.
As with the Qur’an, held to have been revealed in pure Arabic, any translation of Islamic
texts is problematic. The “associations that… words had for their original audience” are not
possible to replicate, but co-translation with Emirati Muslims was part of the solution to
this challenge (Irwin, 2002, ix). However, skewing translation into a particular cultural
mindset is inevitable as the circle of the cognoscenti widens (Robinson, 2000). The
community-based approach, both in terms of understanding the country’s regional dialects
and mediating Islam, may arguably provide a continuity of transmission; however, more
consultation with leading al Nabati poets has been urged and has already begun.
Robinson (1997) provides the most helpful methodological description relating to translation.
His field-dependent model relates to poetry and involves three main actions: an original
creative abduction process; an inductive process that allows for editing and finely tuned
correction; and a deduction process. This was in practice what occurred: some form of
intuitive idea of the intended meaning was arrived at, followed by a revision stage, and a final

4. polishing. Therefore, around three versions of the poem were produced, each time more and
more refined. An initial forwards co-translation was validated both forwards and backwards
by bilingual academics to resolve linguistic disagreements.
Deonics: Challenge
Inevitably, there were a number of difficulties in delivering the end product. Presented with
the co-translation, the preference of Ousha’s poetry copyright holder (R. Ghobash, personal
communication, 29 March 2015) suggested focusing more on one of her major religious
poems, limned in the Diwan of the Women’s Museum in Dubai, My Lord of Full Pardon ‫ربي‬
.‫الغفران‬ ‫واسع‬ ‫يا‬. This choice was a personal favourite, one more typical of the poet’s output,
and showing, too, a deeper understanding of Islam. This request has been acceded to.
Therefore, this burgeoning collaboration may expand into a larger community project over
time.
The project is not intended to claim a full understanding of either Islam or Emirati Arabic, but
rather to try to provide a sound co-translation of Ousha’s moving words, respectfully
mediating the original. Whether this finally materializes will depend on additional extensive
networking, listening to the voices of experienced key actors, and strong ethical positioning.
Co-Translation: Networks
Hughes (cited in MacFarlane, 2009) states that “Ethical practice is an ongoing interaction of
values in shifting contexts and relationships rather than something delivered by a signed
consent form or adherence to a static set of principles” (p. 27). Undoubtedly, emergent co-
translations do have a role in the mediation of religious faith within a “micro-cosmopolitan”
and “non-exclusive reference” (Cronin, 2006). The researcher as a linguistic Gulliver, a
cultural broker positioned somewhere between an experimental control and an extended tribal
member, has implications for translation theory and practice. Accessing Ousha’s work in
translation, the English-speaking community could better appreciate the culture and talent
found in the Emirates.
The intention is to further analyze Ousha’s poems, identify other features besides structure,
theme, obsolete vocabulary, sonority and delivery, and extend the pilot further. Oral consent
from Ousha has been obtained; final approval depends on the co-translators’ end product
based upon a new poetical selection. The final decision is an Emirati one, and whatever form
is followed, it is the goodwill of key actors that is paramount. However, outside interests do
retain a bearing in such a specialist domain.
Conclusion
The many variables and parties involved in such a venture means there rarely will be
universal agreement. This does not mean that the task ought not to be attempted, but rather
that the journey ahead will take time, dedication and perseverance, and that the outcome is
uncertain. For the supporters of Ousha’s Diwan and of Emirati co-translation, however, it is
an important step and one undertaken with all due diligence. Indeed, the Diwan is much more

5. than a tourist space; it a communal centre where different languages, faiths and outlooks are
materialized (Jackson, 2005). In today’s world, surely such a venue is an attraction to many.
Debates about the relationship of the researcher with the artist, the spin of the product by
ethnographers, the range of audience response, and language codification are major parts of
global reinforcement of aesthetics and are unlikely to go dark any time soon (Brenneis,
1987). Crucially, the degree of dissemination should be delineated by the composer before
engaging with the primary audience of mediator and later being further exposed to the global
arena. Such considerations are heightened by the transmission of religious content and so
cannot be rushed. However, the past successes of networks of translators is a reminder of the
need for such a continuity of effort today.
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