Rendering Auto-antonyms in the Glorious Qur’an: A Study of Selected Examples

Abstract

This study examines the translation of auto-antonyms in the Glorious Qur’an in three selected Translations, namely, The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an (1930) by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an (1999) by Muhammad Muhsin Khan and Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali & Khan, and Towards Understanding the Ever-glorious Qur'an (2003) by Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali. The term “auto-antonyms” describes a linguistic phenomenon of the Arabic language by which a single word carries two opposite meanings. Analysis is achieved by applying Newmark's notion of semantic versus communicative translation, the functional approach to translation advocated by Vermeer, Katerina Reiss and Christiane Nord, in addition to the compensation strategies set forth by Dickens, Hervey & Higgins. The study investigates how the translators of different linguistic backgrounds translated auto-antonyms from Arabic into English through applying the notion and approach suggested. The thesis explains the strategies or techniques adopted by the translators in question to render auto-antonyms in the Glorious Qur’an. The loss involved in rendering auto-antonyms and the compensation strategies used by the translators to alleviate loss are analyzed. The thesis also shows how the linguistic and cultural backgrounds of each translator help him to reach the appropriate translation pointing out the major differences between the translators.