scholarly journals Linguistic Precautions that to be Considered when Translating the Holy Quran

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Ahmed Gumaa Siddiek
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Cultural Background ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Holy Quran ◽  
English Translations ◽  
The Holy Quran

The present study is an attempt to raise some points that should be considered when translating the Quranic Text into English. We have looked into some samples of translations, selected from well known English translations of the Holy Quran and critically examined them. There were some errors in those translations, due to linguistic factors, owing to the differences between the Arabic and the English Language systems. Some errors were due to the cultural background of the translator which intentionally or unintentionally has affected the translation. Many samples were discussed and suggestions for corrections were made. Then further recommendations were given to be used as guidelines for similar future attempts. We concluded that the simulation of old words in drafting a translation does not fit with the English language as a target language. As this use of archaic stylistics would lead to further complications, which makes the language of translation look strange and complicated 

scholarly journals Question Expansion Technique On The Different Translations Of The Holy Quran By Using WordNet And Islamic Synonyms

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 391-396
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Expansion Method ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Religious Text ◽  
Expansion Technique ◽  
Holy Quran ◽  
English Translations ◽  
Islamic Religion ◽  
The Holy Quran ◽  
Search Systems

The Holy Quran is the most significant religious text, which is followedby thebelievers of the Islamic religion. The translations of the Quran are the interpretation of its meaning in different languages, to assist those who are not familiar with the Arabic language.Most of the Quranic search systems that support theneeds of who are non-native speakers of the Arabic language of the contents of the Holy Quran are basedon keywords matching. Since there are several known English translations of the Holy Quran and each translation has its terminology based on the style of the translator. In addition to that, there are Islamic terms might be not used in the English language, such as "Hajj" or "Saum,"where these terms might vary from one translation to another. Therefore, these search systems do not support the needs of the user, and often there isno matching between the terms of user's questionandtheterms of the Quran.Consequently, this research has used the synonymsofWordNet to expand the user's question,and to cover all the possibilities of theterms that might be usedin the Quran translation, but there are many of Islamic terms are not available in the WordNet database. The WordNet has been enhanced with a set of Islamic synonyms that have been used in the well-known Islamic translations of the English language, which it was created by the researcher, to increase the likelihood of providing a sure matching between the question's words and the contents of the Quran translation. According to the results of this study, the evaluation of this research proved that the method of question expansion by using the both of the WordNet and the Islamic synonyms showed better accuracy and efficiency than the traditional keywords matching systems, or the system that uses only the WordNet synonyms in the question expansion method in terms of matching all user's questions words with documents and retrieve the correct answers to these questions.

scholarly journals Translating Connotative Meaning in the Translation of the Holy Quran: Problems and Solutions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies ◽  
Noureldin Mohamed Abdelaal
Keyword(s):  
Target Language ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Connotative Meaning ◽  
Expressive Meaning ◽  
Semantic Complexity ◽  
Holy Quran ◽  
Problems And Solutions ◽  
The Holy Quran ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Equivalence Problems

Connotative meaning is one of the most challenging aspects in translation, especially between two different cultures such as English and Arabic. The problem is more aggravated when the translation occurs from a sacred and sophisticated text such as the Holy Quran. As a result, losses in translation occur. This study, therefore, is an attempt to identify the losses in the translation of connotative meaning in the Holy Quran, propose strategies to reduce such losses, and identify the causes of such losses. For this purpose, seven examples were extracted from the Holy Quran and were qualitatively analysed. The analysis of the extracted data revealed that connotative meaning was quite challenging in translation and losses occurred. These problems in preserving the connotative meaning of the source text (ST) word or playing it down are due to two main causes: the first cause is the lack of equivalence, while the second one is the translator’s failure to pick the most appropriate equivalent. Non-equivalence problems were mainly represented in lack of lexicalization, semantic complexity, culturally-bound terms, difference in expressive meaning, and difference in distinction of meaning between the source language (SL) and the target language (TL). Some strategies were suggested to reduce such loss in the translation of connotative meaning. These strategies include footnoting, transliteration, periphrastic translation, and accuracy of selecting the proper equivalent that can be achieved by triangulation procedures such as peer-checking and expert-checking.

scholarly journals Translation as a Social Activity: Towards a Bourdieusian Understanding of Pickthall’s Translation of the Quran

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
English Translation ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Political Forces ◽  
Holy Quran ◽  
English Translations ◽  
The Holy Quran ◽  
Sociological Work

This paper argued for a fresh understanding of Pickthall’s The Meaning of the Glorious Koran: An Explanatory Translation (1930) in light of Bourdieu’s sociological work. The main objective of this study was to develop an initial sociological model for understanding the production of Pickthall’s English translation of the meaning of the Holy Quran. By hypothesizing a field which could be called ‘the field of English translations of the meaning of the Holy Quran’, the researchers aspired to understand the dynamics of this field and its structure through delineating the socio-cultural and socio-political forces. After conducting an analysis at the macro level, the researchers analyzed the paratextual elements of the translation, the data of which represent the starting point for Bourdieusian insights into the production of Pickthall’s translation. The findings revealed that Pickthall’s capitalization is evident in the paratextual zone to secure his position within the field in question. The study concluded that Pickthall’s is a social activity, situated in a social space, and carried out by translating agents, both individuals and organizations, who are in a ceaseless struggle over accumulating capital at stake in the field.

Metadiscourse Features in two English Translations of the Holy Quran: A Comparative, Corpus-based Inquiry

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 378-398
Author(s):  
Mehrdad Vasheghani Farahani ◽  
Hossein Vahid Dastjerdi
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Main Trend ◽  
Frequent Type ◽  
Holy Quran ◽  
English Translations ◽  
The Holy Quran

Abstract The main objective of this study was to make a corpus-based comparison between two English translations of the Holy Quran in terms of metadiscourse features application and distribution. For this purpose, two English translations of the Holy Quran by Itani (2012) and Yousef Ali (1992) were selected as the corpus of the study. For the theoretical framework, the model of metadiscourse features proposed by Hyland (2005) was utilized. In order to check the distribution of metadiscourse features, Sketch Engine corpus software was used. The quantitative analysis of the data revealed that interactive metadiscourse features were higher in frequency than the interactional ones. Also, it was observed that within the interactive metadiscourse features, transitions were the most frequent type as compared with hedges which were the most frequent among the interactional ones. Finally, while in Yousef Ali’s translation, interactive metadiscourse features were the main trend, in Itani’s translation, the interactional metadiscourse features were the dominant attribute. The findings of this study have useful implications for researchers in translation as well as contrastive and corpus-based studies.

scholarly journals Debate in Translating Nouns in the Holy Quran

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Islam Al Momani ◽  
Nibal Malkawi ◽  
Mona Smadi ◽  
Raed Khasawneh
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Great Effort ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Holy Quran ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Holy Quran ◽  
Target Culture

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the semantic issues and problems related to nouns that some translators in their translation of the Holy Quran, couldn't translate it successfully such as Abdullah Yusuf and Souleymane Kanté. Although they did a great effort and their translation is successful but they fail to convey the meaning to some nouns. The researcher tried to introduce some suggestions to improve translation of nouns in the Holy Quran by explaining some of these issues, and not to undermine these translations.As the terminology of the Quran reflects the history of the rise of a monotheistic religion in Arabia, the terminology of its translation into Maninka reflects the long history of islamization of the Manding-speaking peoples, Souleymane Kanté's translation as an example.  On the other hand, some Arabic translations to English are also available, Abdullah Yusuf's translation as an example.The researcher investigated troubles these two translators face in translating the Holy Quran by providing some examples. It was clear that Yusufs' translation based on finding equivalent of nouns of the Quran in the target culture which is not always available, while Kante's translation based on that there are many words in the target language which can stand for any noun in the Holy Quran.The researcher concludes that Kante's translation is better and more professional because languages develops and translators must always find equivalent words in the target culture to convey the meaning they are seeking to explain.  

scholarly journals A Comparative Study of Three English Translations of Yasin Surah Regarding Vinay and Darbelnet Strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Aghajani ◽  
Goldis Seyedi Jalali
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
English Translation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Holy Quran ◽  
English Translations ◽  
The Holy Quran ◽  
Persian Translation ◽  
Holy Book

Over the past few years, the Persian and English translations of Quran have been studied from different standpointsThroughout the centuries, Muslim and non-Muslim translators have been very concerned to convey the meaning ofthe Quran into languages other than Arabic. The holy Quran is a divine book and its translation into other languagesmust be done meticulously. In this regard, Persian and English translation of one of the surahs of this magnificentbook was selected to be compared. the present study has gone through the investigation of the Persian translation ofone of the surahs of this holy book “Yasin” by Dr. Elahi Ghomshei (1361) and its English translation by threefamous translators Yusuf Ali (2000), Pickthall (1930) and Sarwar (2011) to see discrepancies. Also, this study triesto find out the unit of translation and classify different kinds of Vinay and Darbelnet’s procedures used by theEnglish translators.

The Translatability of Some Qur’anic Verbal Irony into English: A Comparative Stylistic and Pragmatic Analytical Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Ali Albashir Mohammed Alhaj
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Analytical Study ◽  
Stylistic Analysis ◽  
Verbal Irony ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
Holy Quran ◽  
The Holy Quran ◽  
Total Impact ◽  
Powerful Consequence

The current study aims to examine through lexical stylistic analysis and comparison, the differences and the disparateness of meaning and style in rendering the Quranic verbal irony into English, in the work of Mohammed. A.S Abdel Haleem, Mohammed. M Pickthall and Mohammed Khan and Mohammed Taj Al-Din Al-Hilali . Also, the study aims to investigate how the three translators deal with the Quranic verbal irony in their translations into English. This has its powerful consequence in attaining a better understanding on the part of the Holy Quran translators and subsequently of English language receptors in general and for non- Arabic Muslims in particular, where the Qur’anic verbal irony concerned. Also, the study aims to identify the translation strategies employed by the three translators in rendering the Quranic verbal. irony Moreover, the study revealed that the Qur’anic verbal irony is conspicuous occurrence in the Holy Quran and that the process of rendering them into English is generally problematic for the reasons such as linguistic and cultural divergences and discrepancies. Finally, the study gives two ideas; firstly, the equivalence in translation should be examined as a concept that holds a place on a scale that can begin very equivalent to inequivalent. Secondly, better translation of the Holy Quran should bear intelligibility in terms of a total impact of the Message on the language receptor.

scholarly journals Rhetorical Loss in Translating Prepositional Phrases of the Holy Qur’an

SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824402090209
Author(s):  
Ali Salman Hummadi ◽  
Seriaznita Binti Mat Said ◽  
Rafi’ M. Hussein ◽  
Ahmed Abdulateef Sabti ◽  
Huda Abed Ali Hattab
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Relevance Theory ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Prepositional Phrases ◽  
Rhetorical Device ◽  
English Translations ◽  
The Holy Quran ◽  
Meaning Equivalence ◽  
The One

Translators of the Holy Quran confront many quandaries in their attempt to transfer the Qur’anic verses from Arabic into English. One of these quandaries is how to rhetorically communicate the intended meanings (implicatures) of the prepositional phrases in the Holy Qur’an. The translation of Arabic prepositional phrases in the Holy Qur’an as a source text (ST) may lead, in some Qur’anic verses, to a rhetorical loss in communicating their implicature in the target text (TT). That implicature or implicitly communicated meaning other than the explicature is the one intended to be expressed and required to be faithfully translated. In rendering the preposition into the target language (TL), translators bring into home only the explicitly stated meaning unaware of the implicitly stated meaning created as a result of the application of this specific rhetorical device. This study investigates the problem of the rhetorical loss encountered in the translation of prepositional phrases of the Qur’anic verses and identifies the cause of this problem. It also attempts to suggest a mechanism that is, to some extent, helpful and insightful in coping with the difficulties of translating Arabic prepositional phrases in Qur’anic verses. This research adopts a descriptive qualitative content analysis of the Qur’anic verses and their English translations that are relevant to the focus of the research. The source of failure of the English translations of the verses in conveying the rhetorical meanings of prepositional phrases has been identified in terms of the Relevance Theory and the distinction between explicature and implicature of these phrases. The study concludes that meaning equivalence in translation requires translators to be aware of not only the explicitly stated meanings of prepositions but the implicitly communicated ones as well which are recoverable through referring to Arabic heritage resources and interpretation books dedicated to exploring the rhetorical purposes of prepositions alternation in Qur’anic verses. The results of the analysis and the new suggested mechanism have been verified by an Arabic language and Qur’anic sciences expert who is a proficient speaker of English as well.

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