Journal Article

Translating Qur'anic Euphemistic Expressions of Hardship

Bashiri, Basmah Mohammed, Tuhaitah, Zafer, Albarakati, Mohammed

2023

Overview

This study investigates the translation of euphemistic expressions denoting hardship found in the Qur'an. The primary objective is to explore how Qur'an translators deal with such expressions by comparing five Qur'an translations: Pickthall (1930), Ali (1934), Al-Hilali and Khan (1974), Abdel Haleem (2004), and the Rowwad Translation Center (2020). Following Baker's (1992) translation strategy taxonomy, the study identifies the translation strategies used by these translators in rendering 11 selected euphemistic expressions of hardship in the Qur'an. The analysis shows that these translators have employed different approaches when dealing with these expressions, holding that the most prevalent procedures adopted are translation with a more neutral word, and literal translation, followed by paraphrasing. However, the use of a more general word in translation is relatively infrequent. Adding explanatory information within parentheses is another strategy utilized to address the ambiguity associated with euphemistic expressions. When comparing these translations to the source text, it is evident that 40 instances of translation have maintained the euphemistic meaning, while fifteen translation instances have missed the euphemistic effect. The study recommends that translations should render this stylistic feature so that the Qur'anic text is not deemed as blunt as some translations feature it.

• Publisher: جامعة الملك عبدالعزيز
• Subject: استراتيجيات الترجمة / التعبيرات الملطفة / ترجمة القرآن