Expertise and Explicitation in English Translations of the Holy Quran

Abstract

With universals of translation budding into an interesting field in translation studies, discussing the nature of translation universals and explicitation as one of the universals of translation emerges as one important strand worthy exploring. In this paper, first of all, the notion of explicitation in translation is introduced, followed by the probable relations between expertise and explicitation discussed in two Arabic-English translations of the Holy Quran. First, a comparison was made between the original text and the translations in terms of explicitation regarding cohesion in context. Second, the translations were compared by studying cohesive markers. In the third step, the study investigated the relationship among features of cohesion, as verified by Halliday and Hassan's seminal work in this realm, with all instances of explicitation identified on this basis. The fourth stage of the study saw a comparison drawn between the frequencies of explicitation in the translations. The findings pointed to the application of explicitation, somehow affecting the behavior of cohesive markers. Finally, the results of the analysis supported the need for the reasons behind the rate of the relationship between expertise and explicitation in the Arabic-English translations of the Quran. Interestingly, the findings turned out to be in contrast with the hypothesis indicating that the translated texts converted by experienced translators would be more explicit than their original parallel versions. Further, experienced or inexperienced translators transferred most of the ellipsis and substitutions used in the source text in their original form. No clear relationship between the level of expertise of translators and explicitation in translation was discovered. Such detailed investigations of the instances of explicitation in corpora would be attempts to categorize, compare and contrast patterns of occurrence, and provide possible starting points for further similar research.

Double or half reading, double or full meaning: Amphibological and anacoluthic syntax through the lens of Qur’an translators

“…Anacoluthon is found by Darir (2012) to be a guise of explicitation according to which the TT is more explicit than the ST, a finding in line with Bisiada (2016) who proves that sentence splitting is an explicitating strategy rather than a process triggered by the target language. This finding is strongly supported by Raoufkazemi et al (2020) who revealed that the texts rendered by experienced translators are more explicit than the original.…”

“…The Qur'anic text attracts so riveting and scrupulous research that each of its linguistic phenomena may be subjected to many scholarly endeavours (see Mohaghegh & Pirnajmuddin 2013, Abdul-Ghafour et al 2019, Raoufkazemi et al 2020, Alduhaim 2021. Abdul-Raof (2001: 68) argues that the Qur'anic language is characterised by rhetorically, syntactically, semantically, phonetically, and pragmatically idiosyncratic and prototypical features which render it roughly (un)translatable.…”

“So Good Women Are the Obedient…” : An in-Depth Analysis of Selected Translated Quranic Verses Regarding Women

“…Translation is a communicative act that serves as a bridge connecting the target audience with the source audience via the use of a different linguistic system (Raoufkazemi et al, 2020). In the words of Abdul-Raof (2001, p. 1), the translation of the Quran is considered a "major human contribution in cross-cultural interfertilization; it is a unique charity to humanity".…”

The Clarity and Legibility of Students’ Translation of Arabic – Indonesian Official Text

“…Good translation skills are also inseparable from the translator's skills to divert the meaning and aesthetic elements. Raoufkazemi et al (2020) added that accurate translation is an inherently interdisciplinary effort. Many references can be used when we want to understand the meaning of a translation.…”