A Study of Gain and Loss in the Translation of the Qurʾānic Arabic Words of Glad Tidings Known as Al-Bush'rā (البُشْرَى ( Into English: An Islamic Professional Ethical Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1401.27Keywords:
glad tidings, Holy Qur’ān, perspective, translation, professional ethicsAbstract
The substantial lexical and cultural challenges facing the translators of the Holy Qur’ān in rendering the Qurʾānic Arabic words for glad tidings known as al-bush'rā (البُشْرَى) into English result in the gain or loss of meaning in translation - an issue that cannot be avoided. This study, conducted from an Islamic professional ethical perspective, examined that gain and loss through three well-known translations of the Holy Qur’ān which were sourced from The Qur’ānic Arabic Corpus, namely Abdelhaleem (2004), Al-Hilali and Khan (1996) and Pickthall (1930). A qualitative descriptive design was adopted together with Hervey and Higgins’s (1992) concept of loss of meaning in translation which is a critical aspect of any translation. The study found that, in terms of the loss and gain in the translation of the Qurʾānic Arabic al-bush'rā (البُشْرَى) into English, the aforementioned translators utilized different translation strategies such as reduction and omission. The study concludes that any loss has a significantly negative impact on the reader’s understanding and interpretation of the Holy Qur’ān in general and the words found in the Qurʾānic Arabic al-bush'rā (البُشْرَى) in particular.
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