Translating Conceptual Qur’anic Metaphor: A Cogno-Translational Approach

Abstract

This study will investigate metaphor translation as a natural phenomenon. It will analyze some of the problems involving the translation of metaphorical expressions in two Qur’anic translations, namely, Yusuf Ali's The Holy Qur’an: Text, Translation and Commentary and Laleh Mehree Bakhtiar's The Sublime Qur’an. The analysis in this study employs both quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as a cognitive framework of metaphor, which helps conciliate the cultural specificity of metaphors and their transference into linguistically and culturally unrelated languages. The present analysis is based on Mandelblit’s Cognitive Translation Hypothesizes (CTH) (Mandelblit (1995), Maalej’s strategies of translating metaphor (Maalej, 2002, 2008) and Kövecses’s concept of Cultural Variation (Kövecses, 2002,2006). This kind of eclecticism provides a wide-ranging approach to be followed while analyzing the translation of Qur'anic metaphors. The approach used in this study does not only deal with the linguistic aspects of Qur'anic metaphors, but also pays attention to their conceptual and cultural aspects. Cross-cultural variation can affect the outcome of translating metaphorical expressions. Thus, the translator is obliged to adopt certain strategies to preserve the subtle nuances of the original Arabic text and its socio-cultural context, while at the same time ensuring that the translation is accessible to the target audience. This study concludes that most of the conceptual metaphors under scrutiny have been literally translated into English, which is frequently inaccurate. English and Arabic often diverge in their conceptualization in general texts, but especially in sensitive texts like the Qur'an. Therefore, the conceptualizations of some Qur'anic metaphors are often lost in translation.
 
 Received: 19 July 2020 / Accepted: 9 November 2020/ Published: 17 January 2021

Cultural Filtering of Metaphor Translating: A Cognitive Science Perspective

“…Studies on metaphor translating from the cognitive perspective abound (Al-Sowaidi et al, 2021;Burmakova & Marugina, 2014;Ghazala, 2012;Hanić et al, 2016;Hong & Rossi, 2021;Jensen, 2005;Massey, 2021;Safarnejad et al 2014;Samaniego Fernández, 2011). For lack of space here, only a few seminal publications will be addressed.…”

The Translation of Quranic Metaphorical Expressions From Arabic Into English

“…(6) Free translation produces the TL text without maintaining the style, form, or content of the original. (7) Idiomatic translation conveys the 'message' of the original by the use of idioms which exist in the original. (8) Communicative translation conveys the exact contextual meaning of the original in which both content and language are comprehended easily by readers.…”

“…This may explain the growing research interest in assessing the translation strategies of the Holy Quran which are adopted by translators (Ereksoussi, 2014;Alshehab, 2015;Elimam, 2016;Alama, 2018;Al-Sowaidi et al, 2021). Najjar (2012) explored the challenges of translating metaphors of the Quran by assessing the three English versions of the Holy Quran translations.…”

Feminist Strategies in Qur’ān Translations: A Comparative Study of the Sublime Quran and Saheeh International

“…In 1995, Umm Muhammad, Amina Assami, translated the Qur'ān into English under the pseudonym Saheeh International. Extensive research indicates that Umm Muhammad's translation reproduces patriarchal gender hierarchies (Al-Sowaidi et al, 2021), while Laleh Bakhtiar's the Sublime Quran comprises feminist elements (Kidwai, 2018). Comparing these two translations to determine whether the translators employ feminist translation strategies to increase their visibility has not been previously addressed.…”