Shiraz University Journal of Poetry Studies (boostan Adab) 2008-8183 17 1 2025 04 21 A Study of English Translations of Attar’s Conference of Birds Based on the Correct Understanding of the Original Text: A Case Study of Sholeh Wolpé and Dick Davis's Translations of the Story of Sheikh San’an A Study of English Translations of Attar’s Conference of Birds Based on the Correct Understanding of the Original Text: A Case Study of Sholeh Wolpé and Dick Davis's Translations of the Story of Sheikh San’an 87 104 7643 10.22099/jba.2024.50161.4525 FA Sonia Norouzi Jafarloo PhD. Student of Persian Language and Literature Department. University of Yasouj, Yasouj, Iran. Mohammadhossain Nikdarasl Associate Prof in Persian Language and Literature of Yasouj university, Yasouj, Iran Abdolvahed Zarifi Associate professor in English Language and Literature Department, faculty member, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran. 0000-0001-6675-0507 Elham Khalili Jahromi Assistant professor of Persian Language and Literature Department, faculty member of Shiraz University, Shiraz. Iran. Journal Article 2024 05 16 Introduction Translation of literary text is a challenging task. In literary translation, selecting the appropriate equivalent of words depends on the translator's understanding of the source language and culture. If the source text is a mix of language and culture, translation becomes more challenging. Translation of a poem is the most complicated type of literary translation because of its difficulty in understanding. The form and meaning in the poem are interconnected, and the language of the poem is implied. These cause multiple and sometimes incorrect interpretations of the poem. The more aesthetic aspects of the language in the poem, the greater the possibility of misinterpretation and translation errors. In Persian mystical poetry, the problem is much more complicated. The existence of a rich network of words, interpretations, and terms in Persian mystical text makes it difficult to understand and translate text. In this article, two recent English translations of Attar’s Conference of Birds (Manteq ol-Teyr) were selected: Sholeh Wolpé’s and Dick Davis's translations. Davis's translation is based on the edition by Sadegh Gouharin and Wolpé's is based on the edition by Mohammad-Reza Sha’fi Kadkani. The faithfulness of the translators to the original text and their accurate understanding of it have been evaluated and analyzed in the story of "Sheikh San’an". Introduction Translation of literary text is a challenging task. In literary translation, selecting the appropriate equivalent of words depends on the translator's understanding of the source language and culture. If the source text is a mix of language and culture, translation becomes more challenging. Translation of a poem is the most complicated type of literary translation because of its difficulty in understanding. The form and meaning in the poem are interconnected, and the language of the poem is implied. These cause multiple and sometimes incorrect interpretations of the poem. The more aesthetic aspects of the language in the poem, the greater the possibility of misinterpretation and translation errors. In Persian mystical poetry, the problem is much more complicated. The existence of a rich network of words, interpretations, and terms in Persian mystical text makes it difficult to understand and translate text. In this article, two recent English translations of Attar’s Conference of Birds (Manteq ol-Teyr) were selected: Sholeh Wolpé’s and Dick Davis's translations. Davis's translation is based on the edition by Sadegh Gouharin and Wolpé's is based on the edition by Mohammad-Reza Sha’fi Kadkani. The faithfulness of the translators to the original text and their accurate understanding of it have been evaluated and analyzed in the story of "Sheikh San’an".

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