Translation activities are actually not a new thing in human civilization. It is possible that translation has existed since human civilization itself existed, both at the level-to borrow Jacobson's term-of “intralingual translation”, “interlingual translation”, or “inter-semiotic translation.”. It is said that in the Middle East, to be precise, in the Old City of Elba, the oldest dictionary was found, which was between 6,000-10,000 years old [1].

In this era of globalization, cross-language communication in the form of translation still exists and even tends to be increasingly important. No exception, translation activities from Arabic into Indonesian are also becoming increasingly widespread, along with the increasing spirit for the religious acivities of Muslims in Indonesia. This is evidenced by the number of translated books, especially those related to Islamic treasures, such as the Ulum al-Quran, Ulum al-Hadith, Aqidah, tafseer, morals, Sufism, Islamic history, Arabic literature and others.

The history recorded the success of the Arabs in building Islamic civilization, starting with the translation of the Qur'an. The ancient works of the Persians, Egyptians, Indians and especially Greeks, were translated into Arabic. Therefore, the pillars of Islamic civilization cannot be separated from pre-Islamic culture. The translation activity shows the open attitude of Muslims toward the pre-Islamic classical treasures. The introduction of Muslims to the great pre-Islamic cultures at that time was in line with the expansion of the Islamic empire in various regions outside the Arabian Peninsula. The fire of Islamic spirit that inflames its people to learn knowledge from anyone and from anywhere manifests in massive translation activities and reaches its peak of glory during the Caliph al-Ma'mun (813–833).

Then, in the fifteenth century, Europeans sparked a renaissance "spirit of rebirth from the dark ages," which was also inseparable from the role of Muslim scientists, who had brought a scientific spirit to European society at that time. So, human civilization is essentially developing globally and the key is translation. It would not be wrong for the Indonesian people to trace the successes of other nations through translation activities.

Even today, the translated books from Arabic can be obtained easily in a number of bookstores, book fairs, airports, market porches, train stations, bus terminals, in the courtyards of campus mosques and others. The translated books have also become part of the collections of almost all mosque libraries in Indonesia. Moreover, if a survey is conducted, it is likely that in every Muslim household, one or more translations of Arabic books will be found. That is the number of works of translation from Arabic into Indonesian.

This encouraging fact has broadened the horizons of thought for Indonesian Muslims. People are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of enriching religious insight in order to perfect their Islamic practice in a whole. This phenomenon becomes a challenge as well as its own opportunity for bilinguals (Arabic-Indonesian). Through translation activities, translators can access all kinds of information contained in Arabic Islamic books.

The effort to translate Arabic books is, of course, a blessing in itself for translators, plus the low mastery of Arabic among Indonesian Muslims. The market share of Arabic-Indonesian translation books is very large. Not to mention the price of Arabic books, which is relatively more expensive than the translated books.

The above facts are actually an opportunity for translators. It can be said that the world’s prospect of translating books from Arabic into Indonesian is very bright. This opportunity must be responded to with a desire to continuously improve the quality of translation. The translator's contribution to the knowledge transformation process cannot be underestimated. The translator's expertise in presenting various thoughts through translated books should be appreciated.

In this article, the researchers want to limit the motives for translating Arabic books in Indonesia to three publishers: Mizan Pustaka, Pustaka Al-Kautsar and Almahira. What is the publisher's motive for translating Arabic books into Indonesian? Why would a publisher choose a particular motif in the translation of Arabic books? This question will be answered in this paper.

The Nature of Translation

The rapid development of information technology has resulted in the free flow of information, which has resulted in the flow of global information becoming more rapid like a flood. Can’t be prevented. Geographical boundaries are no longer a barrier. The world is like a small transparent village. Events in one place, anywhere, can be easily found. This is the era of universality. Openness and interdependence between nations is a necessity. In fact, humans were created as nations, not without a purpose. On the one hand, interaction between nations and cultures is inevitable. On the other hand, competition is inevitable.

Mastery of information, science and technology has now become a condition sine quanon for the survival of a nation. Laziness means missing the global train. Developed countries continue to advance. Those who are left behind must catch up. Therefore, the transfer of knowledge has become a necessity, even a demand. These demands and needs, among other things, can be satisfied with a treat called translation.

Generally, translation activities are intended to help people who cannot understand the message directly from the source language. The essence of translation actually conveys the message (ideas, thoughts, feelings) from the source language into the target language. In fact, the mandate of the source text is fully translated, both in form (mabna) and meaning (ma'na) to the rightful party, namely the reader. Do not let the translated text be received very piecemeal, causing errors and misunderstandings.

In general, translation aims to produce a translation work that can present the most appropriate meaning, with the meaning in the source language. In Nida's understanding, translation is reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly, in terms of style [2]. Thus, translation activities are closely related to efforts to reproduce the equivalent meaning of the word that best fits the message contained in the source language into the target language.

For the Indonesian people, especially Muslims, translating Arabic books is very important. The translation of Arabic language works into Indonesian can accelerate the transformation of knowledge and technology, especially in Islamic sciences. This is one of the main reasons for translating Arabic books to Indonesian language. Beside to transfer the Islamic knowledge among Muslims, other motives are also developed by the tastes of translators themselves, which are supported by the wishes of publishers who print Arabic-Indonesian translations.

Variety of Translation Motivations

The process of translating Arabic books into Indonesian involves many motives which encourage translators to translate Arabic text books into Indonesian. Some of these motivations, in essence, do not stand alone and are not only motivated by one particular motive, but very possibly driven by several motives.

Quoting Abdul Munip [3], a person's motivation for translating an Arabic book can at least be categorized into five motivations: religious motivation, educational motivation, economic motivation, ideological motivation and provocative-stimulative motivation.

Religious Motivation

Religious or religious motivation is the motivation that is usually written by the translator in the preface. The translator expresses his hope that what he does can be recorded as good deeds and get a reward from Allah. Those who choose this kind of motivation are translators of Arabic books, which are commonly used in the pesante world.

Educational Motivation

The translation of Arabic books in Indonesia is often based on the desire of the translator or publisher so that the translated book can be read by Muslims who do not or cannot speak Arabic. The translated Arabic books were also chosen by considering the importance of the book to the prospective readers. Among these books are: (1) books used in educational institutions such as Islamic boarding schools, schools and universities; (2) books that are seen as being able to provide additional knowledge for Indonesian Muslims about various basic aspects of Islam; and (30) books containing educational content.

Economic Motivation

In general, the publisher is a company. Companies provide human resources, raw materials and capital to produce goods that must be sold to get back the money spent on production costs. The product issued by the publisher is a book. Among the products published are books translated from foreign languages, including Arabic. As an industrial company, the publishers also make profit-oriented decisions as the foundation and spirit of the company. Without economic motivation, it is impossible for publishers to survive in the midst of increasingly fierce competition. Books are industrial products because the production stage involves technology and machines. Books are economic objects and are merchandise. When producing books (including books translated from Arabic), publishers obviously take commercial aspects into account.

Ideological Motivation

What is referred to as "ideological motivation" is the desire of a person or certain parties to spread their religious ideology to the public through the translation of certain Arabic books that are considered in accordance with their religious understanding. This motivation is usually very visible on the surface, but there are some invisibles.

Every publisher can certainly have their own vision and mission, either expressed or implied. Although most publishers view book publishing from a business point of view, it is very possible that there are ideals that drive their business. By analyzing the background of the establishment of the publication, the trend towards the theme of the translated books published and the target audience, it is possible to predict the existence of certain ideological motivations behind all of this.

The ideological motivation behind the publication of books are translated from Arabic can be seen from the consistency of the distribution of themes and the names of the original authors whose books are translated. A publisher who is motivated by salafy ideological motivations, for example, will certainly not want to accept and publish translated texts that are considered to be full of heresy and things that are judged to be contrary to ideology of salafy. Likewise, book publishers with a background in the ideology of Islamic da’wah also publish the themes around this.

Stimulative-Provocative Motivation

Recently, there have even been found translations of books from Arabic by several Middle Eastern scientists whose thoughts tend to be provocative in provoking further discussion of the scientific discourses that they introduce. The writings of Middle Eastern scientists such as Muhammad Arkoun, Hasan Hanafi, Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid, Abdullahi Ahmad an-Na'im, Muhammad 'Abid al-Jabiri and Muhammad Syahrur are types of provocative writing that often cause polemics in the middle eastern readers themselves.

However, the polemic that took place in the middle east was initially only enjoyed by some Indonesian Muslim scientists who had access to the original books. They were the first to introduce the discourse to Indonesia. The various discourses developed by middle eastern Muslim thinkers began to be widely discussed not only by senior Indonesian Muslim academics but also by students and other observers.

In the midst of this discourse, certain parties began to think about translating several books by these middle eastern thinkers into Indonesian. The initiative to translate the books usually comes from those who participate in enjoying the discourse. 

This research is a type of descriptive qualitative research that focuses on the problems that existed at the time the research was conducted or actual problems that exist and describes the facts about the problems being investigated as they are. With this approach, the research requires a depth of appreciation of the interaction between concepts or an in-depth analysis of the relationships between concepts studied empirically.

The qualitative approach makes the researcher a flexible research subject, able to approach the study with an open mind and not make assumptions before the research is began. Therefore, in choosing an approach, researchers use grounded theory, which is a systemic qualitative research procedure in which the researcher explains a theory, process, action, or interaction regarding a topic at a broad conceptual level.

One of the sources of data used interviews with publishers, such as their own translators, editors, publishing managers and others whose know the general motives for translating Arabic books into Indonesian language. The data is collected through qualitative methods with three approaches, namely observation, in-depth interviews and documentation.

The researches try to describe the profiles of three publishers who are the objects of this research, which are associated with the motives of publishing Arabic books translated into Indonesian. In addition, also describe the results of observations and interviews with translation activists (publishers and translators) from each of these publishers.

Based on the research of three mentioned publishers, it appears that the motivations of translating Arabic books into Indonesian can be categorized into two motivations, namely religious motivation and ideological motivation.

Mizan Pustaka, Bandung

Mizan Pustaka was founded in 1983 by three students and their two seniors. They aimed to build a new level of Islamic work in Indonesia. Starting with publishing translated books which were written by leading authors from abroad, Mizan’s character gradually finds its shape through Islamic chapters that represent various perspectives, seriously and modernly.

Vision: A civilized and prosperous society within the framework of a progress-oriented religious life.

Mission: To spread wisdom through enlightening content to Indonesian and global society.

Mizan Pustaka was started by Haidar Bagir, Ali Abdullah and Zainal Abidin, with financial and management support from Abdillah Toha and Anis Hadi. Mizan Pustaka quickly caught the attention of Muslim readers with his first book, Dialogue Sunnah-Shi'a, which immediately became a best seller and giving Mizan's image as a Shi'ite publisher. Mizan published six new titles in 1983 and jumped to 22 titles in the second year.

From its catalog and publishing chronology to the 1990s, Mizan has published books with various themes and written by a number of authors. In the early days, Mizan was active in publishing works leaders of Ikhwanul Muslimin, such as Hasan Al-Banna, Muhammad Qutb, Sayyid Qutb, Muhammad Al-Ghazali and Yusuf Qardhawi; also publishing books by Abul A’la Al-Maududi from Jamaah al-Islamiyah; and publishing books by Imam Al-Ghazali and others. Sufi books as which written by Abdullah al-Haddad, Abdul Qadir Jailani, Al-Kalabadzi and others, such as into this category as well. In later years, Mizan translated books from contemporary and modernist Muslim thinkers.

Religious Motivation 

Religious or religious motivation is the motivation often expressed by publisher Mizan Pustaka in translating Arabic books. The indicator is the finding of an expression that contains the publisher’s hope that what he does is recorded as a good deed, so that the translator gets a reward from Allah for his efforts and hopefully the book can provide benefits. The following are some quotes that indicate that Mizan Pustaka’s Arabic books are motivated by religious motivation in carrying out their translation activities.

In translating Kimia-i Sa'adat (Chemistry of Happiness), whose Indonesian edition becomes “Metode Menggapai Kebahagiaan”, is a summary of Al-Ghazali's monumental work. In his letter to Nizamuddin Fakhrul Mulk, the Seljuk vizier, Al-Ghazali stated, “If you find any difficulties in understanding sufism, read my book (Chemistry of Happiness), which will guide you to the right path and give you an opportunity to take advantage of the abilities which God has given you.”

In the translated book “Membumikan Islam Keluasan dan Keluwesan Syariah Islam” by Yusuf al-Qaradhawi, the publisher explains briefly,”... In this book, Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradhawi emphasizes the relevance and application of Islamic law in aspects of life, including:

• Islamic law's general characteristics (Khashâ'ish al-Syarî'ah)

• Islamic legal sources (Mashâdir al-Syarî'ah)

• The primary goals of Islamic law (Maqâshid al-Syarî'ah)

• Flexibility factors of Islamic law

• The key of the successful implementation of Islamic law in state affairs”

Ideological Motivation 

Ideological motivation is the certain of a person to spread his religious ideology to the public through the translation of Arabic books that are considered in accordance with his religious understanding. This motivation is usually visible on the surface of the translated books, but it can also be invisible. For this reason, a search for this motivation can be done, among other things, by analyzing the ideological tendencies behind the publication of translated books.

Every publisher has their own vision and mission, either expressed or implied. Although most publishers view book publishing from a business perspective, it is very possible that there are ideals that drive their business. By analyzing the background of the establishment of the publication, the trend of the theme of the translated books published and the target audience, one can guess that there is a certain ideological motivation behind all of this. This kind of analysis will result in the categorization of publishers.

According to research findings, Mizan Pustaka is a publisher who has a special affinity for Shia ideology. One of the reasons is that this publisher is so consistent in translating Arabic books written by scholars, thinkers and thinkers from the Shi'a circle [4].

As is well known, a split has occurred between the Sunnis and the Shi'ites, dating back to the early days of Islamic history, a few years after the Prophet’s death. In view of the fact that the majority of Muslims in Indonesia are Sunni and the suspicion that the Islamic Republic of Iran will export its revolution, the publication of these Shi'a works clearly invites both curiosity and suspicion. The first book that Mizan translated was the book Dialogue Sunnah-Shi’a, which immediately became a best seller and, in turn, also directly crowned Mizan’s image as a Shia publisher.

The first book was soon followed by the works of the intelligent ideolologist Ali Shariati, the eminent cleric and philosopher, Murtadha Muthahari and Muhammad Husain Tabathabai, as well as the leader of the Iranian revolution himself, Ayatollah Khomeini. Mizan's translation of Shi'ite works seems more dramatic (compared to the translations of Middle Eastern thinkers) and very unexpected in the midst of Islamic discourse, which is dominated by Sunni Muslims [5].

Pustaka Al-Kautsar, Jakarta

Pustaka Al-Kautsar is one of the leading publishers in the effort to form an intelligent Islamic society as well as to realize the life of a civilized society in Indonesia through, among other things, the translation of Arabic books into Indonesian.

Vision: To develop a professional business in the field of publishing and trade based on da'wah, economics and social sciences to increase the spiritual intelligence and strength of the people towards an Islamic society that is independent, faithful and pious based on the Al-Quran and As-Sunnah.

Mission: Work, worship and preach consistently by combining firmness and flexibility.

Religious Motivation 

Religious motivation is a motivation that has been highly emphasized by the publisher of Pustaka Al-Kautsar since its inception, especially in choosing Arabic books to be translated into Indonesian. The indicators are several quotes that confirm the commitment of Pustaka Al-Kautsar to upholding Islamic values. For example, in the introduction to the translation of the book Bidâyatul Mujtahid #2 by Ibn Rushd, it is stated: “We hope that this book will become a reference in the discipline of fiqh, both for students, academics and other Muslim communities." We also hope that Allah may make this book a good deed for the author who weighs down the scales of his goodness in the hereafter.”

The religious motivation of the Pustaka Al-Kautsar can be traced in an excerpt from an interview with the Managing Director of the Pustaka Al-Kautsar, Tohir Bawazir, Jakarta, Tuesday (10/1/2019).

What are your Current Activities?

Every day I am busy in managing the Pustaka Al-Kautsar company, starting from the process of hunting for manuscripts, discussing the feasibility of publishing them and finally distributing them to the public. Since 1989, all processes of this kind of activity have been pursued.

When did you become Interested in the World of Islamic Literacy?

My interest in the world of Islamic literacy emerged when I was in college in the mid-1980s. When the issue of the beginning of the revival of the XV century Hijri had just surged throughout the Islamic world. At that time, Islamic books thought from the Middle East began to be translated into Indonesian language, especially the books of the Ikhwanul Muslimin from Egypt.

What do you Think is Going on in the Indonesian Publishing World?

The world of Islamic publishing in Indonesia greatly influences the progress of thought, creed and knowledge of Indonesian Muslims, so that teaching activities are increasingly widespread, Islamic schools are also growing rapidly and Muslim clothing has become the culture of Muslims. Like it or not, this is the progress of the people who have also contributed a lot to the Islamic books that have been successfully published by Muslim publishers.

What is the Process of Realizing your Publishing Vision and Mission?

We create a performance system with a full family atmosphere and work and work solely as a service to the nation and religion. so that the work atmosphere becomes warm and full of enthusiasm.

What is the Strategy of Publishing of Pustaka Al-Kautsar?

In order for the da'wah efforts of Pustaka Al-Kautsar, it must be good at producing books that are in demand by the market and expand the scale of its business in various product variants. The important thing is to maintain da’wah idealism.

Ideological Motivation

In translating Arabic books into Indonesian, Pustaka Al-Kautsar always puts forward the mission of scientific objectivity, is not partisan and is not fanatical towards certain groups and sects. This publisher always refers to the line that has been set by the MUI (Indonesian Ulema Council). What the MUI has declared heretical is a kind of Shi'ism. For example, the Pustaka Al-Kautsar is wary of it. The Pustaka Al-Kautsar is more inclined to the understanding of the Shunni creed. This is evidenced by efforts to translate a book entitled “Why I Quit Shi’a”, written by a former Shia cleric, Sayyid Husain Al-Musawi, who received guidance to leave Shia.

While some Islamic publishers intentionally become part of certain Islamic communities or are affiliated with certain religious organizations, Pustaka Al-Kautsar remains open to any Islamic group. Through the translation of Arabic books, the publisher, which is located in Jakarta, is more oriented towards upholding Islamic da’wah by providing references needed by the people for the sake of upholding the glory of Muslims in Indonesia.

Almahira, Jakarta

Almahira is a company engaged in the field of book publishing, which was pioneered in 2001. This publisher strives to present scientific reference books, especially in the Islamic field, to the community who needs basic knowledge to do a good and right deed based on Al-Quran and As-Sunnah.

In December 2006, Almahira was initiated by eight employees who occupied the first office on Jalan BB1 No. 6A, Cipinang Muara, East Jakarta. Two years later, Almahira's office moved to Jalan Madrasah Az-Ziyadah No.21, Klender, Duren Sawit, East Jakarta. Since February 1, 2013, Almahira has had a permanent office at Komplek KODAM, Jalan Manunggal II, No. 8C, Kalimalang, East Jakarta.

Vision: To make Almahira a publisher of community reference books in various fields of science.

Mission: To present quality reference books, especially in the field of Islam, to the Indonesian people in particular and to the international community in general

Purpose: 1. Educating the public on the benefits of reading Islamic and scientific texts. 2. Educating the people to fall in love of science. 3. Bringing prosperity to all involved in running the company (either directly or indirectly), which has an impact on the welfare of the surrounding community. 4. Carrying out da'wah in the midst of the global community.

Almahira’s translated Arabic books include: 

• Atlas of the Crusade, written by Sami bin Abdullah al-Maghlouth. 

• Atlas of Islam, written by Sami bin Abdullah al-Maghlouth. 

• Atlas of Religions, written by Sami bin Abdullah al-Maghlouth

• Traces of Caliph Uthman bin Affan, written by Sami bin Abdullah al-Maghlouth 

• Traces of Caliph Ali bin Abi Talib, written by Sami bin Abdullah al-Maghlouth. 

• The Footsteps of the Caliph, the Rebellion of the False Prophet, written by Sami bin Abdullah al-Maghlouth

Based on this research, it shows that each publisher has a certain motive in translating Arabic books, according to the vision and mission of each publisher. In relation to translation motives, the three publishers tend to be more religiously and ideologically motivated.

In fact, generally, the motivation of publishers is to make a profit or to make a profit. because most publishers are business entities. And, the essence of a business entity is to seek material gain. That the process of making a profit by translating Arabic books and publishing them, as well as spreading knowledge and educating the nation, is a way of business, which is also the packaging of a marketing movement.

Making a profit and, of course, making a profit is not prohibited, as long as it is done in a legal mechanism. Therefore, the publisher’s creative team select compare deeply the manuscripts to be published. Many factors are considered, among them, topic, author, momentum and, of course, the vision and mission of the publisher concerned.

The subjectivity of the publisher's creative team also determines which translated manuscripts will be published. The issue of publisher subjectivity is also reinforced by the subjectivity of the translator himself, as is said by Fuad Saifuddin Noer, a translator from the Almahira, Jakarta. In an interview with him, he emphasized that the translator’s subjective attitude contributed to the religious motivation and ideological motivation in translating Arabic books into Indonesian. 

Every publisher of translated books has a certain vision and mission. Some have the same vision and mission as other publishers; some are different. The publisher's vision and mission determine the direction and strategic lines that are used as guidelines for the movement of the publisher concerned. The visions carried out by a publisher are closely related to the founders or financiers of the publisher concerned.

There are publishers who openly publish their vision and mission in their company profile or in every book published; some do not. For example, there are publishers who list their vision and mission to educate the nation; there are also those who disseminate religious teachings and so on. There is not a single publisher that explicitly states the vision and mission to seek material benefits.

Based on the researcher’s observations of three publishers (Mizan Pustaka, Pustaka Al-Kautsar and Almahira) as well as interviews with informants related to the motives for translating Arabic books into Indonesian explicitly, they are more motivated by religious and ideological motivations. However, subjectively, there are also has a motive of business profit.

1. Umam, Mustolikh Khabibul. 2015. Peran Google Translate dalam proses penerjemahan Arab-Indonesia pada mahasiswa PBA semesteran UIN Walisongo Semarang. Thesis Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo. Not published.

2. Nida, E.A. dan Taber, C. 1998. The theory and practice of translation. Leiden: The United Bible Societies.

3. Munip, Abdul. 2015. “Motivasi penerjemahan buku berbahasa Arab.” Al-Mahara Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab, ISSN 2477-5827, vol. 1, Desember 2015/1437 H, Yogyakarta: Fakultas Tarbiyah, UIN Sunan Kalijaga, 83-106.

4. Gunawan, Anggun. “Mewaspadai syiah di Indonesia?” Artikel dalam Kompasiana. Retrieved from https://www.kompasiana.com/grejogja/552e00b66ea834b4188b4571/mewaspadai-syiah-di-indonesia?page=all, diakses pada tanggal 10 November 2019.

5. Widjanarko, Putut. 2003. “Kebangkitan generasi baru: penerbitan buku Islam dan masyarakat Islam di Indonesia.” Artikel dalam Buku Milad Mizan ke-20. Retrieved from https://www.mizan.com/kebangkitan-generasi-baru/, diakses pada tanggal 2 Februari 2019.