Editorial
Ali Salimi; Shahriar Hemmati; Mohammad-Nabi Ahmadi
Volume 3, Issue 6 , March 2013, Pages 13-28
Abstract
The translators and commentators of the Qur'an since long ago have translated the phrase ‘Akadu Ukhfiha’ [I Almost Conceal It] in various and even contradictory ways. Most of such translators and commentators have translated the above-mentioned phrase as ‘I want to conceal’. They ...
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The translators and commentators of the Qur'an since long ago have translated the phrase ‘Akadu Ukhfiha’ [I Almost Conceal It] in various and even contradictory ways. Most of such translators and commentators have translated the above-mentioned phrase as ‘I want to conceal’. They assume that ‘Kaad’ here indicates the intensity of the action of ‘concealing’ (Ukhfiha). By the same token, another group of such commentators have adopted an opposite view in their translations. They believe that within this very phrase, ‘Kaad’ neutralizes the overall meaning of ‘concealing’ and, accordingly, the acceptable meaning of the phrase is ‘to reveal’. Based on an analysis of the various uses and functions of ‘kaad’ in Arabic and the Glorious Qur'an, this present paper attempts to take a look into this issue with the purpose of further elaborating upon the exact meaning of this Quranic phrase. In other words, the research intends to indentify the right interpretation of this verse; the one which is consistent with other verses of the Holy Qur'an. The results indicate that the verb ‘Kaad’ in this verse has the same common meaning of ‘Kaad’ in Arabic. In positive form, it refers to nonoccurence of a verb, and in negative form, it shows that a verb hardly occurs. Considering the uses of this verb in Arabic and the Holy Qur'an, far-fetched interpretations of this verse is not justifiable and is not consistent with the language of the Qur'an.
Editorial
Hossein Shamsabadi Shamsabadi; Fereshteh Afzali
Volume 3, Issue 6 , March 2013, Pages 29-48
Abstract
Different languages have different systems and any language has its own specific lexical elements, grammatical structures, expressions, and idioms. This implies that not all elements can be literally reproduced in another language. Therefore, for our translation to be natural and understandable in the ...
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Different languages have different systems and any language has its own specific lexical elements, grammatical structures, expressions, and idioms. This implies that not all elements can be literally reproduced in another language. Therefore, for our translation to be natural and understandable in the target language, we should make changes and transformations to the source text. One of the most important principles to be observed in such translations is finding exact and proper lexical, structural, and contextual equivalents in the process of transferring message from the source to the target language. To understand shifts present in the process of finding equivalents in the target language, the concept of equivalence is studied in the translation of a story on the three levels of similarity, shift, and transfer. Inspired by these shifts and techniques, the study aims to explore the methods of finding equivalents in the translation of Arabic stories into Persian on three levels, including: lexicon (colloquial, slang, loan, and communicative words), structure (literary writings, rhyming, and communicative and expressive translation), and context (paralinguistic elements, presuppositions, and semantic elements). A number of the stories by Naguib Mahfouz, including The Honeymoon, Midaq Alley, Under the Umbrella, The Thief and the Dogs, and The Beggar, are analyzed as the sample translations of the study.
Editorial
Reza Nazemiyan; Hesam Hajmomen; Mohammad Jamshid
Volume 3, Issue 6 , March 2013, Pages 49-68
Abstract
Relevance Theory is one of the most efficient approaches in examining the relationship between texts and the way they are perceived by the audience. Considering the fact that religious texts address a general audience, the present paper aims to study the factors which increase or decrease the relevance ...
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Relevance Theory is one of the most efficient approaches in examining the relationship between texts and the way they are perceived by the audience. Considering the fact that religious texts address a general audience, the present paper aims to study the factors which increase or decrease the relevance level of the religious texts translated to Persian as well as the procedures of enhancing the relevance level for Persian-speaking audiences. To this end, 5 context-based Quranic verses as well as their corresponding translations were analyzed. This qualitative study was conducted in the framework of discourse analysis and contextual analysis. The analysis included seven questions which revealed key concepts in each verse. All translations were analyzed based on those key concepts and, therefore, the factors influencing the extent of processing efforts were identified. Thus, through a pathology of the necessity of high processing efforts by the audience in perceiving religious texts, the study analyzed the performance of translators in providing necessary assumptions to the audience in order to decrease the processing efforts and increase the relevance of the text.
Editorial
Reza Amani; Leila Zarbakhsh; Omolbanin Farhadi
Volume 3, Issue 6 , March 2013, Pages 69-89
Abstract
Metonymy is an important and influential expressive device and structure in rhetoric and plays an important role in the aesthetics and sense of the Quranic context. Thus, the translation of it is also very important. In the paper, a methodology of translating types of metonymy is provided and the performances ...
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Metonymy is an important and influential expressive device and structure in rhetoric and plays an important role in the aesthetics and sense of the Quranic context. Thus, the translation of it is also very important. In the paper, a methodology of translating types of metonymy is provided and the performances of translators of the Qur'an are reviewed.
Scholars have identified two methods of translating metonymy - and all other texts. One is ‘semantic’ (translation to metonymy) and the other is ‘communicative’ (translation to reality). However, the authors of the present paper propose an integrated ‘semantic-communicative’ method for translating metonymies in the Qur'an. It seems that the said method, which is a combination of the semantic and communicative method, is the proper and effective method for translating metonymy. However, a review of different translations of the Qur'an shows that translators have used different methods, which has led to a high level of coherence in their translations. Therefore, these translations are based on preference rather than scientific approach.
Editorial
Sayyed Mohammad Reza Ibnorrasool; Mohammad Rahimi Khoygani
Volume 3, Issue 6 , March 2013, Pages 91-112
Abstract
One of the important issues in Persian grammar that has an important role in the process of translation between Arabic and Persian is the diversity and variety of ‘Ya’ in Persian language. Perhaps, in no other language in the world there exists such a letter with so many functions. These ...
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One of the important issues in Persian grammar that has an important role in the process of translation between Arabic and Persian is the diversity and variety of ‘Ya’ in Persian language. Perhaps, in no other language in the world there exists such a letter with so many functions. These functions rarely overlap and are completely different.
The study intends to highlight the difficulties of translating ‘Ya’ in actual translations, mentioning its types and determining its equivalent in Arabic, something that has been neglected to date.
The main findings of this study, which has used an analytic-descriptive method, show that the difficulties of translating ‘Ya’ in Persian are due to confusing and not distinguishing between its multiple types.
Editorial
Mansoureh Zarkoob; Hussein Abbassi Asl Abbassi
Volume 3, Issue 6 , March 2013, Pages 113-139
Abstract
Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006) is one of the greatest writers of the Arab world and the only Muslim winner of the Nobel Prize (1988). Novel, short story, autobiography, and scenario are his areas of writing, and many of his stories have been translated into many of the world languages. The Pub of the Black ...
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Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006) is one of the greatest writers of the Arab world and the only Muslim winner of the Nobel Prize (1988). Novel, short story, autobiography, and scenario are his areas of writing, and many of his stories have been translated into many of the world languages. The Pub of the Black Cat is one of his valuable works which can be considered as a snapshot of a historical moment of his country, i.e. Egypt. The characters and characterizations as well as symbols used in this story are located together beautifully. The reader, even if unfamiliar with the conditions of that time and place, enjoys reading an interesting story. He also becomes familiar with the contemporary history of Egypt. The flips of these symbols cause him to contemplate and then he praises the accuracy and elegance of Mahfouz. In the present paper, Muhammad Reza Mar’ashipour’s translation of this story was assessed. Before assessing the translation, the status of the symbols used in this story were investigated in order to provide a solution to the problems of translating mysterious stories. Mistranslations, use of unfamiliar words, ambiguity, inaccurate translation of poems, and unfamiliarity with the popular culture and language of modern Egypt are among the shortcomings of the translation of this symbolic story.
Editorial
Abdolqader Pariz; Hossein Taqipour
Volume 3, Issue 6 , March 2013, Pages 141-166
Abstract
The translation of the Qur'an by Ataollah Farhang Ghahremani is a free text-bound translation published in India by Amana Publications in 2007. It also has recently been distributed in Iran. According to the translator, the new translation has been based on the translations of Ayati, Payandeh, and Qomshei. ...
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The translation of the Qur'an by Ataollah Farhang Ghahremani is a free text-bound translation published in India by Amana Publications in 2007. It also has recently been distributed in Iran. According to the translator, the new translation has been based on the translations of Ayati, Payandeh, and Qomshei. The bias in this translation is in favor of the Sunnis, especially in the verses related to Ahl al-Bayt. The translator has done his best to render the meanings of the verses into fluent Persian, making the translation somewhat consistent with the modern language. However, there are shortcomings in the translation, including inappropriate word-selection, improper use of parentheses, unnecessary omissions and additions, spelling, punctuation, and layout errors, grammatical mistakes, textual inconsistency, and mistranslations in some verses.
