Semantic challenges in translating words conveying a sense of 'fear' in Holy Qur'anic verses into English

Abstract

This study focuses on the translations of six words conveying a sense of ‘fear’ in the Holy Qur’an: فوخ – xawf, ةيشخ – xašyah, بعر -ruʕb, عزف - fazaʕ, لجو- wajal, قافشإ- ‘išfāq, and ةبهر- rahbah, taking into account their different denotations and connotations. On the basis of this, it investigates seven English translations of the Holy Qur’an: 1. Yusuf Ali (1934 [2006]); 2. Arberry (1955 [1998]) 3. Hilali and Khan (1977 [1996]) 4. Sarwar (1982 [2011]) 5. Irving (1985 [2014]) 6. Saheeh International (1997 [2004]), and 7. Abdel Haleem (2004 [2008]). The rationale for selecting these translations is that the translators are both Arabic and non-Arabic native speakers, well-known, respected among English speakers, and accepted by Muslim scholars. The researcher consults six Qur’anic exegeses; Al-Zamakhshari, Al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, Al-Qurtubi, Al-Jalalayn, and Al Shawkani, to explore the semantic features of words conveying a sense of ‘fear’ in the Holy Qur’an and to discover the level of accuracy achieved by the selected translator in their translations. The thesis explores the meanings of the selected words conveying a sense of ‘fear’ in Arabic and distinguishes between their connotative and denotative meanings based on Arabic lexicons such as Lisan al-‘Arab by Ibn Mandhur, and Al Qamus Al-Muhit by Al-Fayruz Abadi. I then analyses the translations of the selected words to examine whether they are accurate and consistent according to the consulted Qur’an exegeses and Arabic lexicons. This study reveals that translators failed in distinguishing between the nuances of the selected words conveying a sense of ‘fear’ in some verses of the Holy Qur’an. They did not reflect the semantic differences between the selected Arabic words conveying the general sense of fear. The selected translators show inconsistency in translating the same word in different contexts, which is confusing and leads to meaning loss in the TTs. Finally, this study presents recommendations and suggestions to improve future translations.