THE CONCEPTS OF TRANSLATION FUNCTION AND QUALITY: THE LATIN TRANSLATION OF THE QUR'AN

The concepts of translation function ( skopos , Reiss & Vermeer 1991: 95-104) and quality have been the subject of substantial discussion within the area of Translation Studies. They are, in our opinion, two closely bound concepts, to the extent that the quality of a translated text can only be fully assessed when the skopos for which it was created is known. In this respect, despite the frequent connection of translation with the purpose of making an original discourse (ST) available to speakers of a different language (TL), several authors over the centuries have acknowledged the concurrence of other equally common aims of translation. The main objective of this paper is to discuss some aspects of the different Latin versions of the Qur'an prepared between the years 1143 and 1680, reviewing their intended function(s), how they circulated across Christian Europe and how their quality was perceived by their initiators, potential readers and scholars within the historical framework of Christian -Islamic confrontation.