The Problematics of Quranic Homonyms : Acomparative Study of four english translations

Abstract

Quranic Homonyms in English translations indeed require further studies due to the insufficient attention paid to this issue. However, this thesis aims at scrutinizing and examining some homonymy cases in Quranic verses translated into English. The present study compares four well-known English translations, namely those of Pickthall, N. J. Dawood, Yusuf Ali and King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran translation. It attempts at finding the best translation that has managed to convey the implied meanings of the homonymous term. The comparison has been made in light of four authorised and great tafsirs by Al-Tabari, Al-Zamakhshari, Al-Razi and Al-Qurtubi. The aforementioned comparison intends to examine the accuracy of each homonymy interpretations, which should be as much akin as possible to the studied exegesis. The present study argues that the most accurate translation amongst the studied ones is King Fahd Complex translation. This may be due to the fact that the translation in question has been achieved by more than one translator, the translation concerned has shown sensitivity with regard to interpreting the homonymous terms, which presents the richness of the source text to the target reader. This has been accomplished through including some of the plausible meanings, to enhance the accuracy of the interpretation, in order to deliver the intended meaning(s) of the verse without having translation loss. The present study also claims that the translation of sacred texts should be institutionalized to be accurately interpreted.