Investigation of the Qajar Era Translators’ Knowledge of Translation Strategies and Principles

A Paratextual Approach

Abstract

This study investigates knowledge of the Qajar era translators, from the reign of Naser al-Din Shah to the end of Qajar period (1848–1925), of translation principles and strategies using paratextual elements. To conduct the research, first, a list of translated works, published in the mentioned period, was compiled. The list included 372 translations, of which 207 were published in the Naseri era and 165 in the post-Constitutional period. Then to access the translations, various archives were examined. From among the 372 translation titles in the list, 199 translations were found in the archives. Finally, the 199 translations were studied in terms of paratextual elements, including translators’ pre/postfaces, footnotes, marginalia, and other notes in translations. Findings of this study challenge some prevalent generalizations about the Qajar era translators’ disregard for faithfulness in translation. Moreover, the study reveals that among the Qajar era translators some were familiar with text types, types of translation, different translation strategies and translation purpose.