A Critical review of Persian Translation of Two Chapters of the History of Islamic Philosophy ed. by: S. H. Nasr & O. Leaman

Present article tries to review and appreciate the Persian translation of two chapters of the History of Islamic Philosophy. This book edited by S. H. Nasr and O. Leaman and printed by Routledge in 1996. Apart from editors who are experts in Islamic philosophy and culture some other Professors and researchers are present in the writing of the book. Consequently, the work of Nasr and Leaman and their contributors is a considerable activity in the subject of writing history of philosophy in Islamic tradition. Persian translation of the History of Islamic Philosophy, printed in five volumes by Hikmat press in Tehran. In Persian translation that worked by some professors and researchers, first volume has no scientific editor and because of this in some of its chapters there are difficulties. For example, in the eleventh and twelfth chapters that are on al-Kindi and al-Farabi and translated into Persian by Ruhallah Alemi, we encounter with important errors in conveying the meanings of the original text. Here we study both chapters by comparing between Persian translation and original English text of them. Reviewing of chapters on al-Kindi and al-Farabi are exercised separately but our appreciation is in the Analysis and Consequence part of the essay. Main causes of unreliable or improper translation of some parts are these: 1- lack of scrutiny on the philosophical or historical terms; 2- lack of specialization on al-kindi and al-Farabi's philosophies and their books; 3- not employing any editor by press Hikmat on translator's work. Of course, we expected that Ruhallah Alemi as a university teacher and translator, must have been reviewed his translation. Performing this duty is a necessary condition in academic activities. Other aspect of this matter is a cultural-moral one that depicts our responsibility and faithfulness in teaching and research; a responsibility of a person who is linking the writer with the reader.