A Critical Discourse Analysis of Selected Sermons from Nahj al-Balagha: A Translation Quality Assessment of Seyyed Ali Reza’s English Translation

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 M.A Graduate in Translation Studies, Tabaran Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran

2 Department of English Language, Baqir Al-Olum University, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Discourse analysis, a linguistic approach within the social sciences, investigates the relationship between writers' works and their social environments, as well as the impact of these environments on their methods and styles. This research reviews the translation of Imam Ali’s discourse, specifically examining the sermons addressed to the Kufis, through the lens of Fairclough’s (1980) critical discourse analysis model. The study assesses the effectiveness of a selected English translation in conveying the original discourse. The importance of accurately translating the discourse in these sermons cannot be overstated; when translating significant texts, particularly holy texts, a translator’s inability to convey the discourse effectively can result in a loss of the original message, meaning, and spirit. The translation analyzed in this research is Seyyed Ali Reza’s (1980) version of Nahj al-Balagha, recognized as the most accessible and comprehensive translation. By applying Fairclough’s (1980) discourse analysis, the study found that Imam Ali’s discourse features the highest frequency in the description stage at 65%, while the explanation stage has the lowest frequency at 9%. Using Berman’s (2010) translation model, the researchers found that clarification was the most frequently employed strategy in the analyzed translations, occurring 33% of the time. In contrast, the rationalization and qualitative impoverishment strategies were the least used, each at 8%.

Keywords

Main Subjects

©2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.

References

Ahmadi, M. (2013). Berman and destructural tendencies theories. Journal of Language Criticism and Foreign Literature, 6(10).
Berman, A. (2010). La traduction et la lettre ou l’auberge du lointain [The translation and the letter or the auberge du lointain]. Paris: Seuil.
Boyd-Barrett, O. (1994). Language and media: A question of convergence. In D. Graddol & O. Boyd-Barrett (Eds.), Media texts: Authors and readers (pp. xx–xx).
Chilton, P. (1990). Politeness and diplomacy. Discourse and Society, 2(1).
Delshad, S., Masbooq, M., & Bakhshesh, M. (2015). A critique of Shahidi’s translation of Nahj al-Balaghah based on Berman’s destructural tendencies. Journal of the Qur’an and Hadith Translation Studies, 2(4).
Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and power. London: Longman.
Fairclough, N. (1995a). Media discourse. London: Edward Arnold.
Fairclough, N. (1995b). Critical discourse analysis. London: Longman.
Foucault, M. (1980). Power/knowledge: Selected interviews and other writings 1972–1977. New York: Vintage
Fowler, R. (1986). Linguistic criticism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fowler, R., & Hodge, B. (1979). Critical linguistics. In R. Fowler et al. (Eds.), Language and control (pp. 185–213). London: Routledge and Keegan Paul.
Karimian, F., & Aslanina, M. (2011). Faithfulness to the author in translation. Journal of Language and Translation, 44(3).
Kang, D. (2007). China rising: Peace, power, and order in East Asia. New York: Columbia University Press.
Makarem Shirazi, N. (1952). Payam-e Imam: A new and comprehensive description on Nahj al-Balaghah. Tehran: Darolkotob Al-Islamiyah.
Mohseni, A., & Parvin, N. (2013). Investigating critical discourse based on Fairclough’s theory. Alavi Research Letter, 6(2). The Research Center for Humanities and Cultural Studies.
Parvar, M. (2010). A glance on the process of the emergence of translation theories and investigating text distortion system from Berman’s perspective. Tehran: Ketab Mah Publications.
Rahimi Khooygani, M. (1981). Destructural tendencies in Daryoosh Shahin’s translation of Nahj al-Balaghah’s 31st letter with emphasis on Berman’s theory. Journal of the Qur’an and Hadith Translation Studies, 5(10).
Sayid Ali Reza. (1977). Translation of Nahj al-Balaghah. Qom: Islamic Investigations Center.
Van Dijk, T. A. (1995). Discourse analysis as ideology analysis. In C. Schaffner & A. Wenden (Eds.), Language and peace (pp. 17–33). Aldershot: Dartmouth.
International Journal of Textual and Translation Analysis in Islamic Studies
Volume 1, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
October 2023
Pages 414-438

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 26 May 2023
  • Revise Date: 07 September 2023
  • Accept Date: 26 September 2023
  • Publish Date: 01 October 2023

Share

How to cite

Statistics