Cultural and Lexical Problems Encountered in Translating Qur'anic Euphemistic Expressions into English Language: with Reference to Three Translations of the Holy Quran

Abstract

The current study aimed at investigating, through analysis and comparison, the incongruities and disparities of meaning and style in translating the Qur'anic euphemistic expressions into English, that is in the work of Mohammed .A.S Abdel Haleem, Mohammed. M Pickthall and Mohammed Khan and Mohammed Taj Al-Din Al-Hilali. Also, the study aims at exploring how the three translators deal with the linguistic, cultural and stylistic difficulties in their renditions of the Qur'anic euphemistic expressions into English. This has its crucial significance in achieving a better understanding on the part of the Holy Quran translators and subsequently of English readers in general and for non- Arab Muslims in particular, where Qur'anic euphemistic expressions are concerned. The main trust of the current study is investigating how far the three translators are accurate in rendering the Qur'anic euphemisms into English based upon the contexts and the interpretive meaning. Also, the main trust of the present study is identifying and accounting for differences in the three intended translations of Qur'anic euphemisms and the reasons behind these differences .In addition, the study is concerned with assessing the criteria and strategies adopted by the three translators in rendering Qur'anic euphemisms into English. Furthermore, the current study hypothesizes that Qur'anic euphemisms are rhetorical aesthetic devices, but, unfortunately remained unattended by the Holy Quran translators. The study has revealed that euphemisms are evident phenomena in the Holy Quran and that the process of rendering them into English is generally problematic for the reasons such as linguistic and cultural diversity. Also, the study has revealed that different translation strategies could lead to different translated versions of the sameQur'anic euphemisms. Also, cultural and stylistic differences between Arabic and English languages seem to give rise to mistranslations as far as the religious text ofQur'anic euphemisms. It is hoped that the study will cast new light on three main important ideas; firstly, the translators of the Holy Quran have been aware ofQur'anic euphemistic expressions in translation. Secondly, translators of the Holy Quran have to translate religious texts accurately as they mean in the source text, therefore, give priority to the faithfulness of the St message. Thirdly, the translators of the Holy Qur'an should consult the main books of exegesis, linguistics, philosophy, intertextuality, jurisprudence and history, etc., when he/she tries to render the Qur'anic euphemisms.