Translating Metaphor in Qur'an into English: Strategies and Challenges

Abstract

Metaphor, or istiʿāra in Arabic, is one of the most prevalent rhetorical devices used in Qur'anic discourse. The Qur'an employed metaphor to convey meanings not immediately apparent on the surface of the text, yet significant. Thus, translating these metaphors into English was extremely difficult due to linguistic and cultural differences. Three well-known English translations of the Qur'an by Ali, Pickthall, and Abdel-Haleem were examined in this study. The study adopted a theoretical approach depending on metaphor translation and Newmark’s conceptual metaphor theory. To achieve its goals, the study was based on 40 Qur'anic verses in Arabic, as only 13 metaphors were selected for analysis. The study adopted a qualitative approach, using content analysis to analyze the data. The findings indicated that literal translation was the most common strategy for rendering metaphorical meaning and religious concepts in Qur'anic discourse. It was also discovered that many translation attempts employed general literary strategies to systematically achieve meaning and impact. Lastly, the study recommends that translation be carried out carefully to guarantee that English-speaking readers can understand it well. The accurate translation of Qur'anic metaphors was essential for proper understanding.