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Shifts of Coherence in Quran Translation

Article · January 2012

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Mohammed Farghal & Noura Bloushi, STJ, 2012, Vol. (4), pp. 1-18

Shifts of Coherence in Quran Translation


Mohammed Farghal & Noura Bloushi
Kuwait University

ABSTRACT
The paper aims to shed light on reader-focused and text-focused coherence
shifts in Quran translation. The data consists of selective examples involving
potential problems related to such shifts, which are excerpted from five well-
known English translations of the Holy Quran. The results show that Quran
translators sometimes fall victim to such shifts. On the one hand, the wide
cultural distance between source text and target text may cause reader-focused
shifts when opting for literal translation in handling partial and complete
referential gaps. On the other hand, the translator’s inadequate language
competence in Arabic and the absence of consulting Quranic exegeses
sometimes trigger text-focused shifts, thus offering unintended readings. The
study concludes that coherence shifts constitutes a serious problem in Quran
translation, which calls for remedial work in future endeavors.

Keywords: Quran Translation, Reader-focused Coherence Shifts, Text-focused


Coherence Shifts & Referential Gaps.

1. Introduction
Blum-Kulka (2004: 291) defines coherence as “a covert potential meaning
relationship among parts of a text, made overt by the reader or listener
through processes of interpretation”. She equates coherence with the text`s
interpretability, thus considering general changes or loss in meaning of the
Source Text (ST) through translation as affecting its coherence. More
interestingly, she divides coherence shifts into two categories; the first results
from the Target Text (TT) reader’s failure to make sense of the ST because of
different world views, which leads to reader-focused coherence shifts, while
the second involves text-focused shifts of coherence which result from
mistranslations.

When examining coherence shifts, Blum-Kulka argues that


distinguishing the two types of shifts is important because it helps in having “a
better understanding of what translation can and cannot do, or, in other words,
to better understand the true limits of translatability” (p. 297). Translatability
can be defined as “the capacity of some kind of meaning to be transferred from
one language to another without undergoing radical change" (Alpert 2001:
273).

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Being the Arabic Word of God verbatim, the Holy Quran constitutes the most
important source of authority for Muslims. Hence, Quran translation into
foreign tongues has always been a controversial issue among Arab/Muslim
scholars since Medieval times (for more details, see Mustafa 2001). However,
there is a consensus nowadays that existing Quran translations should be taken
as interpretations of the sacred text rather than exact translations. In
particular, this issue was resolved when religious bodies, such as Al-Azhar
(Egypt), gave permission for translating the Quran provided that Quran
translators explicitly state that their translations are not replacements of the ST
and that they are merely rephrasings based on the agreed upon meaning of the
original. Despite this, one can readily observe that most Quran translations are
source-oriented and hardly, if at all, take the needs of the target audience to
access the intended meanings into consideration (for more details, see Mustafa
2001; Farghal 2012).

The present study will draw selectively on examples excerpted


from 5 translations of the Holy Quran as follows:

1) The Message of the Qur’an by Muhammad Asad


1980/2003.
2) The Koran Interpreted by A. J. Arberry 1930/1996.
3) The Qur'an; Text, Translation and Commentary by Abdullah
Yusuf Ali 1934/2005.
4) The Qur’an the Noble Reading by T. B. Irving 1985/1993.
5) The Glorious Quran by Muhammad M. Pickthall 1930/2006.

2. Reader-focused Coherence Shifts

Blum-Kulka states that reader-focused coherence shifts occur “as a result of a


text being read by culturally different audiences” (2004: 305). She argues that
this kind of shift is unavoidable because in most cases a TT is likely to be new to
the TL readers. Because of this cultural distance, TL culture might not share the
same cultural assumptions, beliefs and value system recognized in the ST. This
creates a void in translation, and in this case, the translator's task is to fill any
cultural voids that may impede the TT readers' interpretability of the TT; failure
to do so may result in ineffective translation.

In the case of the Quran, in a text that is deeply rooted in the


source culture, the translator will often be confronted with culture-bound
expressions that are difficult to convey to the TT readers (The TT reader is
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Mohammed Farghal & Noura Bloushi, STJ, 2012, Vol. (4), pp. 1-18

assumed to be the average Western reader). The Quran translator Mohammad


Asad (2003: vii) notes that the linguistic gap between Arabic and English is a
source of coherence shifts to a TT reader because “the coherence of the
Quranic world view and its relevance to the human condition escape him
altogether and assume the guise of what, in Europe, is frequently described as
'incoherent ramblings'”. Therefore, examining potential reader-focused
coherence shifts is a way towards rendering a more coherent Quran
translation.
Blum-Kulka (2004: 298) also notes that the normative system
dominating the translation process can contribute to creating reader-focused
coherence shifts in translation. In Quran translation, this normative system,
being overwhelmingly source-oriented, hardly accommodates to the needs of
TT readers. However, in their endeavors to supplement translations, most
Quran translators resort to long introductions to sūras and a great amount of
explanatory notes to bridge the cultural gap where potential reader-focused
coherence shifts might arise . The following discussion will reveal that most
reader-focused coherence shifts are found in translations that opt out of using
parenthetical material and/or footnotes (for more details on strategies to deal
with culture-bound items, see Newmark 1988 and Larson 1998), while those
that employ them reduce the number of reader-focused coherence shifts.

The area of reference is the primary source of this kind of shifts;


unawareness of a referential item is likely to impede the TT reader's
comprehension and ability to interpret the TT coherently. Culture-bound
expressions in the translation of the Quran constitute either partial or complete
cultural/referential gaps that need to be filled in the process of translation, in
order to prevent the occurrence of reader-focused shifts.

A partial referential gap in translation, as the name indicates,


relates to a referential item that exists in both languages and cultures with
different implications. A familiar Islamic concept which constitutes a partial
referential gap is the concept of zakaat َ‫الزكَاة‬
َّ . This refers generally to a certain
amount of money gathered from the well-to-do and paid to the poor; it is also
obligatory and constitutes the third of the five pillars of Islam. The principles
and rules encompassed in this term make it a challenging concept to render
fully in translation. In the following verse, people are urged to pay zakat and
are assured that, by doing so, God will reward them. Consider the verse and the
translations below:
َ‫وَأَقِيمُوا ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ َوءَاتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَ َما تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَن ُفسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِند‬
)‫ البقرة‬، ١١١﴿ ٌ‫ٱللَّهِ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِير‬

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And be constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues;
for, whatever good deed you send ahead for your own
selves, you shall find it with God: behold, God sees all that
you do. (110) (Asad: 32)
Establish worship, and pay the poor-due; and whatever of
good you send before (you) for your souls, you will find it
with Allah. Lo! Allah is Seer of what you do. (110)
(Pickthall: 18)
Both translators employ the word due(s), i.e. something required, to denote
the obligatory sense of zakaat in the TT. This modification succeeds in
conveying the main aspect of the term; however, the translators differ in the
choice of the generic word chosen to render it. Asad derives his rendition
from the spiritual connotations of zakaat: he notes in his footnote that its
main function is to “purify a person's capital and income from the taint of
selfishness” (p. 18), thus basing his translation on the connotative meaning of
the term. By contrast, Pickthall derives his translation from the category of
people who are eligible to receive it, so he renders it as ‘the poor-due’. In this
way, both translators attempt to approximate the concept to TT readers by
defining it in their footnotes as an obligatory tax and provide sufficient
amount of technical information about it, in order to prevent a reader-
focused shift. For his part, Ali employs 'charity' as an equivalent for zakaat:
And be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity: And
whatever good ye send forth for your souls before you, ye
shall find it with God. For God sees Well all that ye do. (110)
(Ali, p. 48)

It should be noted that in the SL culture the concept of zakat is very specific
and is associated with obligatory giving, so the term 'charity', which is
associated in the TL culture with voluntary giving is too general. Moreover, in
the SL culture voluntary giving is associated with another term, that is
sadaqah, thus ‘charity’ becomes a more appropriate rendition for sadaqah but
not zakaat. In this way, Ali's translation seriously diverges from what is meant
by the Islamic concept of zakaat, and without a footnote, the relevant features
required for the full and coherent interpretation of the term are lost in his
translation.

Similar changes can be found in Arberry and Irving's renditions


of zakat. Consider their translations:

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Mohammed Farghal & Noura Bloushi, STJ, 2012, Vol. (4), pp. 1-18

And perform the prayer, and pay the alms; whatever good
you shall forward to your souls' account, you shall find it
with God; assuredly God sees the things you do. (110)
(Arberry, Vol. 1, p. 42)

Keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax; you will find any
good you have sent on ahead for your own souls' sake is
already [stored up] with God. God is Observant of
whatever you do. (110) (Irving, p. 9)
Arberry employs 'alms' as an equivalent for zakat. Collins Cobuild Advanced
Learner's Dictionary defines 'alms' as “gift of money, clothes, or food to poor
people” (2003). This lexical item is too general and does not have the same
denotative meaning of the Islamic term. In addition, the nature of these alms,
defined above as being 'gifts', i.e. given with free will, diverges from the
obligatory nature of zakat.
Likewise, different implications might arise from Irving's
translation. He uses Modern American English in his translation of the Quran
and renders zakaat as 'welfare tax'. Target readers may derive different
implications from this rendition since it carries different associations from
those of zakaat in the Islamic context. Welfare tax pertains generally to the
amount of money paid by all people, rich and poor alike, to the government for
the advancement of society as a whole. Without a footnote or any other
means of explication, these readers are likely to interpret this term in a
different way from that intended in the source text. For example, without
specifying that zakaat is obligatory for the well-to-do and not the poor, the
readers might infer that it is obligatory for the rich and poor alike. This
inference does not serve the message of zakaat which aims at compassion and
social justice rather that burdening the poor. Both Arberry and Irving`s
translations may lead to reader-focused coherence shifts.
Let us now examine the translation of a complete referential
gap ‘uddah to see how it can lead to reader-focused coherence shifts. The
term ‘uddah is a Quranic euphemism referring to the legally prescribed
waiting period before a divorced woman can remarry; the legal period is
prescribed to rule out pregnancy. Consider the following verse along with
Asad`s translation:
،١( َ‫ِدة‬
َّ ‫ِدتِهِنَّ وَأَحْصُوا۟ ٱلْع‬
َّ ‫ٱلنسَٰٓاءَ َفطَلِّقُوهُنَّ لِع‬
ِّ ُ‫يٰٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِذَا طَلَّقْتُم‬
)‫الطالق‬

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O Prophet! When you intend to divorce women, divorce
them with a view to the waiting period appointed for
them, and reckon the period [carefully]. (1) (Asad, p. 994)

Asad approximates this concept to TT readers by explicating its meaning of the


first occurrence of the term through using a descriptive phrase , thus rendering
it as 'the waiting period appointed for them'. He also supports his translation
with sufficient information in a footnote to clarify the meaning of this Islamic
concept. Having defined ‘uddah in the first instance, he then renders the
second instance generically as 'the period' to ensure the consistency of his
translation. Ali and Pickthall also explicate this meaning of this term in their
translations by rendering it as the 'prescribed period' and '(legal) period',
respectively.

However, a significant reader-focused coherence shift can be


found in Irving's translation. His translation lacks clarity and consistency as he
translates the first instance as '[legal] number' while the second as 'amount of
months' as can observed below:
O Prophet, whenever you [and other Muslims] divorce
women, send them away according to their [legal] number
and count up the amount [of months carefully]. (1) (Irving:
332)

This translation is vague for two reasons. Firstly, neither renditions conveys the
full sense of ‘uddah, so both lack equivalence. Secondly, the translation lacks
consistency because Irving translates the two occurrences of uddah in this
verse differently. Therefore, it is very unlikely that TT readers will get the
intended message, the result being a reader-focused coherence shift.

For his part, Arberry employs the word 'period' as an


equivalent for the term ‘uddah, but his translation can be misleading, too, as
can be observed below:
O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them when
they have reached their period. Count the period. (1)
(Arberry, Vol. 2, p. 284)

Farghal and Al-Masri (2000) note that using 'period' as an equivalent for
‘uddah may lead target readers to confuse it with the menstrual cycle in
women because “when the text was given to a group of 20 American native
speakers, about 75% of them provided interpretations relating to the monthly

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Mohammed Farghal & Noura Bloushi, STJ, 2012, Vol. (4), pp. 1-18

period rather than the intended legal sense” (p.151). Without explicating the
meaning, this translation will certainly cause a reader-focused coherence shift.

To sum up, when a text involves a partial or a complete


cultural gap, on the one hand, target readers will most likely interpret the
message according to their own culture and experience of the world. The
translator's task is, therefore, to bridge the gap, as failure to do so may result
in a reader-focused coherence shift. Notably, cultural gaps are unavoidable
because language systems and cultures do not share the same reference
networks. When dealing with such gaps in Quran translation, it is vital for
translators to address them by employing appropriate strategies, including
borrowing and paraphrase combined with descriptive modification and, in
several cases, footnotes.

On the other hand, when literal translation is employed, it


usually fails to deliver the complete meaning of the cultural item, thus
affecting the meaning of the Quran and its coherence in translation. Literal
translation often fails because Arabic and English are two languages that are
radically different and the non-existence of equivalent concepts usually leads
to incongruity in the meanings offered by English translations of Quranic
culture-bound expressions.

3.Text-focused Coherence Shifts

Whereas reader-focused shifts of coherence are mainly incurred to fill any


cultural void that may impede TT readers' interpretability of the translation,
text-focused shifts of coherence result primarily from the translation process
and affect the ST’s meaning potential in translation. These shifts occur “as a
result of particular choices made by a specific translator, choices that indicate
a lack of awareness on the translator's part of the SL text's meaning potential”
(Blum-Kulka 2004: 301). Consequently, the TT will offer an interpretation that
is not intended by the ST because of a mistranslation committed by the
translator.

Some text-focused shifts of coherence may be caused by the


translator's unconscious interventions in the ST's meaning potential, as can be
seen in the translation of the following verse which involves an Islamic
teaching:

ِ‫ح عَلَيْه‬
َ ‫إنَّ ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلْمَ ْر َوةَ مِن شَعَآٰئِرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنْ حَجَّ ٱلْبَ ْيتَ َأوِ ٱعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَا‬
)‫ البقرة‬، ١٥١( ‫أَن يَطَّوَّفَ ِبهِمَا ۚ وَمَن َتطَوَّعَ خَيْرًۭا فَإِنَّ ٱللَّ َه شَاكِرٌ عَلِي ٌم‬
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[Hence,] behold, As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the


symbols set up by God; and thus, no wrong does he who,
having come to the Temple on pilgrimage or on a pious visit,
strides to and fro between these two: for, if one does more
good than he is bound to do ‫ ــــ‬behold, God is responsive to
gratitude, all-knowing. (158) (Asad, p. 42)

Safa and Marwa are some of God's waymarks. Anyone who


goes on Pilgrimage to the House or visits [it] will not be
blamed if he runs along between them. With anyone who
volunteers some good, God is Appreciative, Aware. (158)
(Irving, p. 13)

Al-Safa and Al-Marwah are two hills between which Muslims are required to
travel back and forth seven times during the annual pilgrimage and the Lesser
pilgrimage. Therefore, ‫( يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا‬Literally 'go round them') signifies running,
or pacing, between these two hills. This is rendered accurately by Asad and
Irving in the above translations because they opt out of literal meaning in
favor of intended meaning. By contrast, text-focused shifts occur in the
translations below:

Behold! Safa and Marwa are among the Symbols of Allah.


So if those who visit the House in the Season or at other
times, should compass them round, it is no sin in them.
And if any one obeyeth his own impulse to good,- be sure
that God is He Who recogniseth and knoweth. (158) (Ali,
pp. 62-63)

Safa and Marwa are among the waymarks of God; so


whosoever makes the Pilgrimage to the House, or the
Visitation, it is no fault in him to circumambulate them;
and whoso volunteers good, God is All-grateful, All-
knowing. (Arberry, Vol. 1, p. 48)

Lo! (the hills) Al-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the


indications of Allah. It is therefore no sin for him who is on
pilgrimage to the House (of Allah) or visiteth it, to go
around them (as the pagan custom is). And he who does
good of his own accord (for him), lo! Allah is Responsive,
Aware. (158) (Pickthall 158: 24)
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Mohammed Farghal & Noura Bloushi, STJ, 2012, Vol. (4), pp. 1-18

In these translations, Ali, Arberry and Pickthall render ‫ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِما‬respectively


as 'compass them round', 'circumambulate them' and 'go around them'. These
renditions create a reality that is completely different from the intended one,
viz. going round two hills vs. traveling back and forth between two hills. This
text-focused shift of coherence on the part of these translators distorts the
meaning in the TT and is likely to conjure up completely different pictures in
the minds of TT readers as to how this ritual is performed. Furthermore,
Pickthall's bracketed addition of the phrase (as the pagan custom is) detracts
from the meaning and is completely irrelevant. To avoid similar text-focused
shifts, translators have to invest contextual elements (e.g. It would be too
difficult for pilgrims to go round two hills) or, if the context does not help,
resort to exegeses.

In addition to inaccurate decisions by translators, Blum-Kulka


(2004) also indicates that the most serious text-focused coherence shifts occur
as a result of the translator's failure “to realize the functions a particular
linguistic system, or particular form, plays in conveying indirect meanings in a
given text” (p. 301). To demonstrate this point, consider the following verse
which employs the comparative structure to explain a specific Islamic teaching:

‫يَٰٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُ ِتبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُ ِتبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُ ْم‬
ْ‫ِدةًٌۭ مِّن‬
َّ ‫) أَيَّامًۭا مَّعْدُو َٰدتٍٍۢ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضا َأوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍٍۢ فَع‬١١١( َ‫تَتَّقُون‬
ًٌۭ‫أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ وَعَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ُيطِيقُونَهُۥ فِدْيَةًٌۭ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍٍۢ فَمَن َتطَوَّعَ خَيْرًۭا فَ ُهوَ خَيْر‬
)‫ البقرة‬،١١١( ‫ن‬ َ ‫خيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُو‬
َ ۟‫لَّهُۥ وَأَن َتصُومُوا‬
O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it
was prescribed for those before you, that ye may achieve
piety; (183) (Fast) a certain number of days; and (for) him
who is sick among you, or on a journey, (the same) number
of other days; and for those who can afford it with hardship
there is a ransom: the feeding of a man in need - but who
does good of his own accord, it is better for him: and that
you fast is better for you if you did but know. (184)
(Pickthall, p. 27)
The above verses order Muslims to fast during the month of Ramadan and
permits those who are unable to fast or are ill to make up for the days they
have missed by either feeding the needy or fasting the same number of days
later. Although Muslims are given two options, the comparative structure is
employed in ‫ُم‬ ْ ‫' وَأَن تَصُومُوا۟ خَيْرًٌۭ لَّك‬and if you fast it is better for you' to
demonstrate that making up for the days missed in Ramadan by fasting on
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Sayyab Translation Journal (STJ), ISSN: 1757-5222
other days is better than the other option. This specific instruction is rendered
accurately in the above translation by Pickthall, whereas Asad's failure to
preserve the comparative relation that holds in the ST distorts the ST's
meaning in his translation below:
O you who have attained to faith! Fasting is ordained for
you as it was ordained for those before you, so that you
might remain conscious of God: (183)[fasting] during a
certain number of days. But whoever of you is ill, or on a
journey, [shall fast instead for the same] number of other
days; and [in such cases] it is incumbent upon those who
can afford it to make sacrifice by feeding a needy person.
And whoever does more good than he is bound to do does
good unto himself thereby; for to fast is to do good unto
yourselves - if you but knew it. (184) (Asad, p. 49)

English does not lack the tools to construct a comparative structure, but the
shift was caused due to the translator's failure to realize the role of the
comparative relation in delivering the proposition in the ST. As a result, Asad's
translation fails to deliver what the verse conveys.

Similarly, the translator's failure to realise the function of a


preposition may result in a text-focused coherence shift. The following
examples demonstrate how a literal translation of the preposition ‫' في‬in'
changes the intended meaning of the ST and leads to different implications.

ٍ َ‫ستُ نَارا سَآتِيكُم مِّنْهَا بِخَبَرٍ أَوْ آتِيكُم بِشِهَابٍ قَب‬


‫س‬ ْ َ‫إِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى ألَهْلِهِ إِنِّي آن‬
‫حوْلَهَا‬
َ ْ‫) فَلَمَّا جَاءهَا نُودِيَ أَن بُو ِركَ مَن فِي النَّارِ وَمَن‬٧( َ‫صطَلُون‬ ْ َ‫لَّعَلَّكُمْ ت‬
)‫ النمل‬،١( َ‫َوسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين‬
Lo! [while lost in the desert] Moses said to his family:
“Behold, I perceive a fire [far away]; I may bring you from
there some tiding [as to which way we are to pursue], or
bring you [at least] a burning brand so that you might warm
yourselves. (7) But when he came close to it, a call was
sounded: “Blessed are all who are within [reach of] this
fire, and all who are near it! And limitless in His glory is
God, the Sustainer of all the worlds”. (8) (Asad, p. 643)

Behold! Moses said to his family: "I perceive a fire; soon will
I bring you from there some information, or I will bring you

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Mohammed Farghal & Noura Bloushi, STJ, 2012, Vol. (4), pp. 1-18

a burning brand to light our fuel, that ye may warm


yourselves. (7) But when he came to the (Fire), a voice was
heard: “Blessed are those in the Fire and those around:
and Glory to God, the Lord of the Worlds. (8) (Ali, p. 979)

Exegeses explain that the preposition ‫ في‬must not be understood literally, so


the phrase ِ‫' بُورِكَ مَن فِي النَّار‬Lit. Blessed be those in the fire' means those who
are within the area illuminated by the fire or within reach of it, an import that
is rendered accurately by Asad. A literal translation like the one offered by Ali,
as well as Pickthall, Arberry and Irving (not quoted here to avoid repetition),
may lead to the wrong inference, possibly to the interpretation that those
doomed to Hell are blessed by God. This mistranslation diverges from the
intended meaning of the ST and is likely to result in a text-focused coherence
shift.

Sometimes, the phonological similarity between two function


words may cause a text-focused coherence shift. The following example
involves two heteronyms: the demonstrative adverb өamma 'there' and the
temporal conjunction өumma 'then', which are identical in the absence of
voweling. Whereas Aberry is sensitive to the orthographical cue signaled by
the first vowel, thus rendering them appropriately, Irving is miscued by the
apparent phonological similarity, thus producing a text-focused coherence
shift, as can be observed in the two translations below.

ٍ ‫ن كُلُّ فِ ْر‬
‫ق‬ َ ‫فََأوْحَيْنَا إِلَى مُوسَى أَنِ اضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ الْبَحْرَ فَانفََلقَ فَكَا‬
ُ‫﴾ وَأَنجَيْنَا مُوسَى وَمَن مَّعَه‬٣١﴿ َ‫﴾ وَأَزْلَفْنَا ثَمَّ الْآخَرِين‬٣١﴿ ِ‫َالطوْدِ الْ َعظِيم‬
َّ ‫ك‬
)‫﴾ (الشعراء‬٣٣﴿ َ‫﴾ ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا الْآخَرِين‬٣٥﴿ َ‫أَجْمَعِين‬

Then We revealed to Moses, 'Strike with thy staff the sea';


and it clave, and each part was as a mighty mount. (63) And
there We brought the others on, (64) and We delivered
Moses and those with him all together; (65) then We
drowned the others. (66) (Arberry, Vol. 2, p. 67)

So We inspired Moses as follows: 'Strike the sea with your


staff!' It opened up and each section was like a huge cliff.
(63) We brought the others up next, (64) and saved Moses
and all those who were with him. (65) Then We let the rest
drown. (66) (Irving, p. 201)

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Sayyab Translation Journal (STJ), ISSN: 1757-5222

The mistranslation committed by Irving changes the relation holding between


verses 63 and 64 from an indication of a place into a temporal relation.

Referral to exegeses could have prevented the shift caused by


heteronyms in the above example, but the translation of the Quran could
involve other linguistic phenomena which, combined with the translator's lack
of awareness of the ST's meaning potential, can be a potential source of text-
focused coherence shifts. The following example involves lexical homonymy, a
linguistic phenomenon where lexemes share the same spelling and
pronunciation but have unrelated meanings. Arberry's translation of ‫شَهِيدًۭا‬
'witness' in the verse below fails to deliver the accurate meaning because he
confuses it with the Arabic word for 'martyr', which is also spelled and
pronounced the same way. The translations given by Irving and Pickthall
deliver the accurate meaning, but the one offered by Arberry is erroneous:

َّ ‫) وَإ‬٧١( ‫يَٰٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ خُذُوا۟ حِذْرَكُمْ فَٱنفِرُوا۟ ثُبَاتٍ َأوِ ٱنفِرُوا۟ جَمِيعًۭا‬
‫ِن‬
ْ‫مِنكُمْ لَمَن لَّيُبَطِّئَنَّ فَإِنْ أَصَٰبَتْكُم مُّصِيبَةًٌۭ قَالَ قَدْ أَنْعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىَّ إِذْ لَمْ أَكُن مَّعَهُم‬
) ‫ النساء‬،٧٧( ‫شهِيدٌۭا‬ َ
You who believe, take your precautions and march off in
detachments, or march off all together. (71) Among you
there are some who procrastinate. If any disaster strikes you,
they say: “God has favored me, for I was not a witness along
with them”. (72) (Irving, p. 45)

O you who believe! Take your precautions, then advance in


groups, or advance all together. (71) Lo! among you there is
he who loiters; and if disaster overtook you, he would say:
Allah has been gracious unto me since I was not present with
them. (72) (Pickthall, p. 78)

O believers, take your precautions; then move forward in


companies, or move forward all together. (71) Some of you
there are that are dilatory; then, if an affliction visits you, he
says, 'God has blessed me, in that I was not a martyr with
them.' (72) (Arberry, Vol. 1, p. 110)

The word ‫ شَهِيدًۭا‬in the above example is an exaggerated form derived from
‫شاهد‬, i.e. 'witness' or 'be present', but it shares a relation of homonymy with
the Arabic word for 'martyr' due to the transformation undergone during the
derivation process. It is rendered accurately by Irving and Pickthall, but Arberry
12
Mohammed Farghal & Noura Bloushi, STJ, 2012, Vol. (4), pp. 1-18

mistakes it for ‫شَهِيدًۭا‬, the Arabic word for 'martyr' (which has the same
phonological form). This results in a mismatch of the denotative meaning
between the ST and the TT.

Arberry's erroneous rendition would also lead TT readers to


derive implications other than those intended in the ST. In the above verse,
the believers are urged to be careful during battles by advancing in consecutive
groups or advance all together in a single group. The verses then warn
believers of the hypocrites who join them in battles but loiter behind in an
attempt to avoid fighting. The verses then narrate the hypocrites thanking God
for staying behind and not being present at the time of the fight. However,
Arberry's translation presents a different understanding; his rendition of ‫شَهِيدًۭا‬
as 'martyr' gives the impression that they were present in the battle ground,
which implies an opposite understanding from that present in the ST. This
translation leads to a text-focused coherence shift.

Usually, any ambiguity surrounding homonymy can be resolved


through context, but homonyms can be problematic if they occur in a context
that tolerates ambiguity, a case in point is the above example, where the verse
that involves a battle might have contributed to confusing ‫ شَهِيدًۭا‬with the Arabic
word for 'martyr'. The same kind of confusion causes a text-focused coherence
shift in the following example which also involves homonymy.

In the verse below, ‫ مِصْرًۭا‬misran refers to any town or place as


Ali accurately renders it. However, Arberry (below) and Asad (pp. 20-21)
mistakenly understand it as a reference to Egypt because the lexical item is
homonymous. Witness the translations below:

‫وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَٰمُوسَىٰ لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامٍٍۢ وَٰحِدٍٍۢ فَٱدْعُ لَنَا رََّبكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا‬
َ‫تُنٍۢ ِبتُ ٱلْأَرْضُ مِنٍۢ بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّآٰئِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَ َدسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا قَالَ أَ َتسْتَبْدِلُون‬
ْ‫ٱلَّذِى ُهوَ أَدْنَىٰ بِٱلَّذِى ُهوَ خَيْرٌ ۚ ٱهْ ِبطُوا۟ ِمصْرٌۭا فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ ۗ وَضُرِبَت‬
َ‫ضبٍٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ ذَِٰلكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُون‬َ َ‫عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلذِّلَّةُ وَٱلْ َمسْكَنَةُ وَبَآٰءُو بِغ‬
َ‫بِـَا َٰيتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ ۗ ذَِٰلكَ بِمَا عَصَوا۟ وَّكَانُوا۟ يَ ْعتَدُون‬
)‫) (البقرة‬٣١(

And remember ye said: "O Moses! we cannot endure one


kind of food (always); so beseech thy Lord for us to produce
for us of what the earth groweth, its pot-herbs, and
cucumbers, its garlic, lentils, and onions." He said: "Will ye
exchange the better for the worse? Go ye down to any

13
Sayyab Translation Journal (STJ), ISSN: 1757-5222
town, and ye shall find what ye want!" They were covered
with humiliation and misery; they drew on themselves the
wrath of God. This because they went on rejecting the Signs
of God and slaying His Apostles without just cause. This
because they rebelled and went on transgressing. (61)
(Ali, pp. 32-33)

And when you said, 'Moses, we will not endure one sort of
food; pray to thy Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us
of that the earth produces - green herbs, cucumbers, corn,
lentils, onions'. He said, 'Would you have in exchange what
is meaner for what is better? Get you down to Egypt; you
shall have there that you demanded'. And abasement and
poverty were pitched upon them, and they were laden with
the burden of God's anger; that, because they had
disbelieved the signs of God and slain the Prophets
unrightfully; that, because they disobeyed, and were
transgressors. (61) (Arberry, Vol. 1, p. 36)

The text narrates an incident involving the Children of Israel during their
journey after fleeing Egypt. In verse 57 we are told that God sent down unto
the Children of Israel food consisting of ‫' المن والسلوى‬manna and quails' to
sustain themselves after they fled Egypt. Nevertheless, in the above text they
complain to Moses about having to eat the same food everyday and ask him to
pray for God to send unto them other kinds of food. They are reprimanded for
not showing gratitude and Moses refuses to ask for this kind of food through
prayer since it is considered lowly and is available in any city or town.
Therefore, as a punishment they were told to seek any city or town to find the
food they wanted. They were not told to head to Egypt misra (the place they
were fleeing from) to seek this food. Hence, the translators' misinterpreting
‫ ِمصْرًۭا‬misran as a reference to 'Egypt' changes the meaning of the ST in the TT.
Moreover, this shift could have been avoided if the translators were aware of
the morphological clues; the fact that ‫ مِصْرًۭا‬misran 'a town/district' here is
inflected indicates that it is the singular of ‫' أمصار‬towns/districts'. Hence, it
should be translated as 'any town or place'. Whereas, if reference were made
to 'Egypt', it would have been to the usually uninflected noun َ‫ مصر‬misra.

Finally, let us consider the example below where the source of


confusion is polysemy (the presence of related senses of the same word). The
translator's unawareness of the polysemous nature of the word َ‫ ٱلْكُفَّار‬in the
verse below causes a text-focused coherence shift. This word refers to 'tillers'
14
Mohammed Farghal & Noura Bloushi, STJ, 2012, Vol. (4), pp. 1-18

or 'husbandmen' in the verse, but it was misinterpreted by some translators as


a reference to 'unbelievers', which also has the same spelling and
pronunciation in Arabic. Witness the translations below:

ِ َٰ‫ٱعْلَمُوٰٓا۟ أَنَّمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَ ِعبًٌۭ وَلَ ْهوًٌۭ وَزِينَةًٌۭ وَتَفَاخُرٌٍۢ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرًٌۭ فِى ٱلْأَ ْمو‬
‫ل‬
ُ‫جبَ ٱلْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُۥ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصْفَرًۭا ثُمَّ يَكُون‬ َ ْ‫وَٱلَْأوْلَٰدِ ۖ كَمَثَلِ غَ ْيثٍ أَع‬
ُ‫ضوَٰنًٌۭ ۚ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰة‬ ْ ِ‫حطَٰمًۭا ۖ وَفِى ٱلْآخِ َرةِ عَذَابًٌۭ شَدِيدًٌۭ وَمَغْفِ َرةًٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَر‬ ُ
) ‫) (الحديد‬٧١( .ِ‫ٱلدُّنْيَآٰ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلْغُرُور‬
Know that the life of the world is only play, and idle talk,
and pageantry, and boasting among you, and rivalry in
respect of wealth and children; as the likeness of
vegetation after rain, whereof the growth is pleasing to the
husbandman, but afterward it dries up and you see it
turning yellow, then it becomes straw. And in the Hereafter
there is grievous punishment, and (also) forgiveness from
Allah and His good pleasure, whereas the life of the world is
but matter of illusion. (20) (Pickthall, p. 545)

Know that the present life is but a sport and a diversion, an


adornment and a cause for boasting among you, and a
rivalry in wealth and children. It is as a rain whose
vegetation pleases the unbelievers; then it withers, and
thou seest it turning yellow, then it becomes broken orts.
And in the world to come there is a terrible chastisement,
and forgiveness from God and good pleasure; and the
present life is but the joy of delusion. (20) (Arberry, Vol. 2,
p. 260)

Know that worldly life is merely a sport and a pastime


[involving] worldly show and competition among
yourselves, as well as rivalry in wealth and children. It may
be compared to showers where the plant life amazes the
incredulous: then it withers away and you see it turning
yellow; soon it will be just stubble. In the Hereafter there
will be both severe torment and forgiveness as well as
approval on the part of God. Worldly life means only the
enjoyment of illusion. (20) (Irving, pp. 315-316)

The above verse is the only instance in the Quran where the word َ‫ٱلْكُفَّار‬, the
plural of ‫كافر‬, is used in its original sense ‘tiller of the soil’ (Ibn Katheer 2006,

15
Sayyab Translation Journal (STJ), ISSN: 1757-5222
Vol. 3, p. 282; Asad, p. 954). Through semantic change this word has come to
be known primarily as reference to 'unbelievers', and in both senses the
connotation of covering or concealing something exists. In this way, the above
verse is employed َ‫ ٱلْكُفَّار‬allegorically in its original sense to compare
'unbelievers' to 'tillers' or 'husbandmen', i.e. (those who cover or conceal
things). This imagery is preserved in Pickthall's translation, which renders the
relevant sense. However, Arberry and Irving's choices depart from the
intended ST meaning and results in a text-focused coherence shift.

4.Conclusion

The paper establishes that coherence shifts in Quran translation result in


mismatches that seriously affect Quranic meaning potentials. Some
mismatches may arise from the cultural distance between ST and TT audience,
thus resulting in reader-focused coherence shifts, while others may stem from
inaccurate decisions on the translator's part, thus leading to text-focused
coherence shifts.

The discussion shows how reader-focused shifts pose a


challenge for translators, and we have concluded that paraphrase and
footnotes are the most adequate strategies to bridge both partial and
complete cultural/referential gaps in translation. This exegetical strategy helps
Quran translators avoid jeopardizing Quranic meanings.

Text-focused shifts help identify another problem underlying


the transfer of the ST meaning into the TT. This kind of shift is not directly
linked to the translatability of the Quran; it is linked to the translator's
interpretation of the ST and his choices in translation. Most importantly, the
discussion of text-focused shifts reveals that serious skewing of meaning does
exist in some professional translations of the Quran. Most of these shifts could
have been averted if sound linguistic competence in both Arabic and English is
secured on the translator's part, in addition to subsequent consultation of
major Quran exegeses, in order to derive and provide the accurate underlying
meaning of Quranic text.

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Mohammed Farghal & Noura Bloushi, STJ, 2012, Vol. (4), pp. 1-18

References
Ali, A. Y. (1934/2006). The Holy Quran. India: Goodword Books.
Al-Kharabsheh, A and Al-Azzam, B. (2008). “Translating the Invisible in the
Qur'an”, Babel, Vol. 54 (1), pp. 1-18.
Arberry, A. J. (1955/1996). The Koran Interpreted. New York: Touchstone.
Asad, M. (1980/2003). The Message of the Qur'an. England: The Book
Foundation.
Alpert, M. (1998/2001). “Translatability”. In Baker, M. (ed.) Routledge
Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. London/New York: Routledge,
pp. 273-276.
Mustafa, H. (1998/2001). “Ouran (Koran) Translation”. In Baker, M. (ed.)
Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. London/New York: Routledge,
pp. 200-2004.
Blum-Kulka, S. (1986/2004) “Shifts of Cohesion and Coherence in Translation”.
In Venuti, L. (ed.) The Ttranslation Studies Reader (2nd ed.),
London/New York: Routledge, pp. 290-305.
Farghal, M. and M. Al- Masri (2000). “Reader Responses in Quranic
Translation”. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, Vol. 8 (1), pp.
27-46.
Farghal, M. (2012). Advanced Issues in Arabic-English Translation Studies.
Academic Publication Council, Kuwait: Kuwait University.
Irving, T. B. (1985/1993). The Quran; the Noble Reading. Iowa: The Mother
Mosque Foundation.
Larson, M. L. (1998). Meaning-Based Translation: A Guide to Cross-Language
Equivalence. Larham: University Press of America.
Newmark, P. (1988). A Textbook of Transaltion. New York: Prentice Hall
International.
Pickthall, M. M. (1930/2006). The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an. Maryland:
Amana publications.

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Sayyab Translation Journal (STJ), ISSN: 1757-5222
List of Arabic Phonetic Symbols

/b/ voiced bilabial stop


/m/ bilabial nasal
/f/ voiceless labio-dental fricative
/ð/ voiced interdental fricative
/ð/ voiced interdental emphatic fricative
/ө/ voiceless interdental fricative
/d/ voiced alveolar stop
/t/ voiceless alveolar stop
/d/ voiced alveolar emphatic stop
/t/ voiceless alveolar emphatic stop
/z/ voiced alveolar fricative
/s/ voiceless alveolar fricative
/s/ voiceless alveolar emphatic fricative
/n/ alveolar nasal stop
/r/ alveolar rhotic liquid
/l/ alveolar lateral liquid
/š/ voiceless alveo-palatal fricative
/j/ voiced alveo-palatal affricate
/y/ palatal glide
/w/ labio-velar glide
/k/ voiceless velar stop
/γ/ voiced velar fricative
/x/ voiceless velar fricative
/q/ voiceless uvular stop
/‘/ voiced pharyngeal fricative
/h/ voiceless pharyngeal fricative
/’/ glottal stop
/h/ voiceless laryngeal fricative
/i/ high front short vowel
/u/ high back short vowel
/a/ low central short vowel
/ii/ high front long vowel
/uu/ high back long vowel
/aa/ low central long vowel

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