Lost in Translation: The Improbable Task of Rendering Esoteric Jewish Mystical Works into English

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 140-149
Author(s):  
Ronald C. Kiener
Keyword(s):  
Distinctive Feature ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Translation ◽  
Jewish Culture ◽  
English Reader ◽  
English Reading ◽  
American Jewish ◽  
Technical Features ◽  
Lost In Translation ◽  
English I

In this paper, I propose that we are in the midst of an English language “translation movement” targeting historic texts of Kabbalah. This translation project is a distinctive feature of recent American Jewish culture, beginning in the 1970s and continuing to this day. It has both a scholarly and evangelistic component. As a result, a not insubstantial library of heretofore inaccessible material has been made available to a general English-reading audience, making it possible to offer the English reader a gamut of primary texts in translation. I then consider some of the technical features of translating esoteric Kabbalah into English. I situate the key feature of esoteric aura which drips from such texts within George Steiner’s “hermeneutic motion.” I conclude that the only proven recourse for conveying the meaning of translated esoteric texts is through copious use of glosses and learned textual notes.

Sa'adyah Gaon

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Brody
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Tenth Century ◽  
The Political ◽  
Jewish Culture ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
Language Study ◽  
Characteristic Features

Sa'adyah Gaon was an outstanding tenth-century Jewish thinker — a prominent rabbi, philosopher, and exegete. He was a pioneer in the fields in which he toiled, and was an inspiration and basis for later Jewish writing in all these areas. The last major English-language study of his work was published in 1921, long before Genizah research changed the understanding of the time in which he lived. This work, covering Sa'adyah's biography and his main areas of creativity in an accessible way, is a reassessment of an outstanding figure. The opening chapter, on the geonic period that formed the background to Sa'adyah's life, is followed by an overview that brings out the revolutionary aspects of his work and the characteristic features of his writings. Subsequent chapters consider his philosophical works; his Bible commentaries; his pioneering linguistic work; his poetry; his halakhic activity; and his activity as a polemicist, notably against the Karaites. An epilogue sums up his importance in medieval Jewish culture. Particularly valuable features of the book are the copious quotations from Sa'adyah's works, which facilitate familiarity with his style as well as his ideas; the clarity in presenting complex and difficult concepts; the constant assessment of his relationship to his predecessors in his various fields of study and his own unique contributions to each field; and the contextualization of his contribution within the political, cultural, and religious climate of his times so that both revolutionary and conservative elements in his thought can be identified and evaluated.

scholarly journals Effects of Bilingualism on Reading Fluency: An Analysis of Pausing Patterns of Iranian Learners of English as a Third Language

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Zahra Banitalebi ◽  
Ali Akbar Jabbari ◽  
Shouket Ahmad Tilwani ◽  
Mohammad Hasan Razmi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Oral Proficiency ◽  
Bilingual Learners ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Third Language ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Significant Difference

Fluency is one of the most important components of oral proficiency, which can be affected by a number of variables including frequency, duration, and place of pause phenomena. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of bilingualism on learning a foreign language from the angle of fluency and pausing patterns by comparing the pausing patterns of monolingual (Persian speakers) and bilingual (Iranian Turkish speakers; L1: Turkish and L2: Persian) EFL learners. To this end, a sample of 40 male and female advanced EFL learners were selected from Yazd University and several English-language institutes. An English reading passage test was used to measure students’ fluency in terms of their pausing patterns in prepared mode of speech. As learners started to read the passage, their speeches were recorded. The collected data were analyzed by Praat software. The statistical analyses revealed a significant difference between monolingual and bilingual learners in the frequency, duration, and placement of the pauses they had produced while they were reading the English passage. The results showed that bilingual learners outperformed monolingual participants, suggesting the superiority of bilinguals in their pausing patterns. The implications are discussed.

scholarly journals TEACHING READING USING TALKING STICK

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Siti Khodijah ◽  
Labibah Labibah
Keyword(s):  
Reading Ability ◽  
English Language ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Teaching Reading ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Tenth Grade ◽  
Sample Test ◽  
Reading Activity ◽  
Academic Year

Language is the most important aspect in human interaction. People communicate and interact with other using the language. In global community, English has become an international language that is used by many people around the world. Reading is one of English language skills and it is one of the ways to learn English. Reading activity should get more attention. It is because there are many students who get some difficulties in understanding a text. In this research inform the using of talking stick in teaching reading. The objective of this research was to find out whether there was any significant difference in improvement the reading ability of recount text of the tenth grade students of SMK Rosma Karawang in academic year 2018/2019 by using talking stick method. The method used was quantitative method. In this research the writer used pre-experimental design of one group pretest and posttest. The data were analyzed by using paired sample test and processed by using SPSS 23 for windows. The results of the research showed there was significant increase of student’s reading ability.Keywords: Teaching, Reading, Talking Stick

scholarly journals Using the SCAMPER Model to DevelopTranslation Skills for Major Students in the Faculty of Education, Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
AWEJ-tls for Translation & Literary Studies ◽  
Fatma Farid Fakhry Tharwa
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Translation ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
School Year ◽  
Delayed Translation ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Faculty Of Education ◽  
Experimental Group

This paper aims at identifying the effectiveness of using the SCAMPER model in developing translation and raising the attitudes towards adaptation among major students in the faculty of education, Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. It tries to answer the following questions: To what extent would using the SCAMPER model raise translation skills among major students in the faculty of education – Majmaah University .the the second question is To what extent would using SCAMPER model raise the attitudes towards translation among major students.To accomplish the purpose of the study, the researcher showed the experimental group with a sample involved (40) students for the SCAMPER Model in the first term of the school year 2018-2019. The researcher used (pre -post & delayed) translation test, a scale of students' attitudes towards translation to collect data. The study's results suggested that there were statistically important differences at (α ≤ 0.05) in the whole mean grade in the pre post translation test to the group in favor of posttest. Also, there were statistically important differences at (α ≤ 0.05) in the whole mean grade in the pre-post scale of students attitudes towards translation to the group in favor of post implication. Also, the researcher recognized these differences in using the SCAMPER Model in teaching English language translation. In light of these outcomes, the study suggested the necessity of applying the SCAMPER Model in teaching the English language to get better results in students’ translation learning and retention in English as a foreign language. Similarly, the SCAMPER Model would be used with other English skills and sub-skills.

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