Cultural and Linguistic Context in Lexical Equivalence: A Comparative Study of Five English Translations of the Holy Qur’ān

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

Department of Foreign Languages, Arv.C., Islamic Azad University, Abadan, Iran

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the role of context in the selection of equivalents by translators with diverse worldviews, following the framework of Lotfi Gaskaree et al. (2023). A qualitative research design was employed, and verses were selected using purposive sampling. Five widely known English translations of the Holy Qur’ān were analyzed. The data encompassed nine Surahs, which were semantically analyzed to investigate the variation in lexical equivalents across the selected versions. The study focused on understanding the translators’ perspectives in selecting English equivalents for Qur’ānic vocabulary. Specifically, translations of Surah Al-Baqarah were examined, as rendered by Arberry, Shakir, Pickthall, and Yusuf Ali. Selected excerpts from each version were analyzed to explore differences in the Arabic-to-English lexical choices. Findings revealed notable differences in the translators’ degrees of familiarity and intimacy with Islamic and religious concepts. Translators influenced by Western worldviews tended to favor literal translations at the morphemic level, while those with Eastern perspectives leaned toward more meaningful or communicative translations. These variations highlight that English lexical choices in Qur’ānic translations are heavily context-bound and influenced by the translators’ cultural and ideological affiliations. The study acknowledges a limitation in the sample size, noting that a broader dataset exceeding nine Surahs could yield more comprehensive insights. Nonetheless, the findings offer valuable implications for cross-cultural translation theory, demonstrating that translators from different cultural backgrounds select lexical equivalents based on their worldviews. This study serves as a preliminary contribution to further semantic and contextual research in Qur’ānic translation.

Keywords

Main Subjects

©2024 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

Abdelaal, N. M., & Md Rashid, S. (2015). Semantic loss in the Holy Qur’ān translation with special reference to Surah Al-WaqiAAa (Chapter of The Event Inevitable). SAGE Open, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015605880
Aldhafeeri, A. (2022). The translation of polysemous bound terms in the Qur’ān: An analytical study of twelve translations of Sūrat an-Nisā’. Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture, 10(1), 23–36. https://doi.org/10.15640/jisc.v10n1a3
Al-Awd, M. (2024). Some defective aspects of lexis translation in the Holy Qur’ān into English. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 7(5), 96–109. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2024.7.5.12
Alhaj, A. (2021). A contrastive linguistic study of cultural and stylistic problems encountered in translating Qur’ānic culture-bound words into English: Polygamy as a model. International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies, 9(4), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19753.47208
Arberry, A. J. (1972). The Koran interpreted. Oxford University Press.
Elahi Ghomsheie, H. (1991). A study of the Islamic texts in English translation (Vol. 2). SAMT Publication.
Imran Khan, M. (2016). Stylistic dimensions in translations of the Holy Qur’ān into English with special reference to Sūrah Al-Fatiha. British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioural Science, 12(4), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.9734/BJESBS/2016/20752
Lotfi Gaskaree, B., Mirzai, M., & Beikian, A. (2023). A corpus-based analysis of lexical bundles in the English translation of the Holy Qur’ān: Structural forms and functional types in the spotlight. Journal of Interdisciplinary Qur’ānic Studies, 2(2), 105–129. https://doi.org/10.37264/JIQS.V2I2
Nida, E. A. (1964). Toward a science of translating. E. J. Brill.
Nida, E. A., & Taber, C. R. (1969). The theory and practice of translation. E. J. Brill.
Obeidat, A., & Sepora Binti Mahadi, T. (2020). The English translation of idiomatic collocations in the Noble Qur’ān: Problems and solutions. Issues in Language Studies, 9(2), 78–93. https://doi.org/10.33736/ils.2246.2020
Peachy, W. S. D. (2013). English translations of the Qur’ān: The roles of why, by whom, for whom, and how. Journal of Qur’ānic and Hadith Studies, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.11136/jqh.1311.02.03
Pickthall, M. (1930). The meaning of the glorious Qur’ān. Salehi Publication.
Rodwell, J. M. (1974). The Koran. Everyman’s Library.
Shakir, M. H. (1982). The Holy Koran. Ismailian Publications.
Toury, G. (1995). Descriptive translation studies and beyond. John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.4
Yusuf Ali, A. (1977). An interpretation of the Holy Qur’ān. Lahore Publication.
International Journal of Textual and Translation Analysis in Islamic Studies
Volume 2, Issue 4 - Serial Number 8
October 2024
Pages 363-377

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 14 June 2024
  • Revise Date: 04 July 2024
  • Accept Date: 26 July 2024
  • Publish Date: 01 October 2024

Share

How to cite

Statistics