Linguistic and extra-linguistic problems in the translation of the Holy Qur'an
Abstract
This thesis is the first to study the English
translations of the : Holy Qur'an, and is mainly concerned
with the translators' approach in handling
the linguistic (lexical & syntactic) , and extra-linguistic
(variant readings & cultural ) problems of the text.
The works that are the subject of the study
are those of six English translators (Sale, Rodwell,
Palmer, Pickthall, Bell, and Arberry), as well as one
of a non-English Muslim translator from Pakistan (Maulana
Muhammad Ali).
The translators' renderings of the problematic
instances are compared with) the expositions of the
exegetes (whom the translators have been familiar with),
in order to investigate the commentators' influence
on the translators. The similarities between the
translators' renderings are also checked to find out
the degree of dependence between the translators.
The translators are found to be heavily reliant on
the exegetes. The degree of dependence between the
translators is found to be considerable. Some problems
have been resolved by means of- the context (i.e. the
text as a whole); whereas others are left unresolved.
The translations that have been studied are closer to
commentaries than the text. The main conclusion is
that the Holy Qur’an is untranslatable in the strict sense.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
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