A Comparative Study of Four English Translations of Sûrat Ad-Dukhân on the Semantic Level

The present book was originally an M.A. thesis submitted to English Department, Faculty of Al-'Alsun (Languages), Minia University, Egypt in 2007. Through combining a knowledge of translation theory and application, it aims at holding a semantic comparison of four English translations attempted by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Arthur J. Arberry and Muhammad Mahmud Ghali of Surat Ad-Dukhan (the Chapter of Smoke). As a theoretical framework, the book deals with several linguistic and cultural problems of translation, with special reference to Qur'an translation, and the principles that should be considered on translating the Qur'an. The core of the book is a comparison of sixty-eight lexical, syntactic and stylistic selections from 'Surat Ad-Dukhan'. The comparison depends on various Qur'an interpretations and Arabic dictionaries to decide the precise meaning(s) of the selections. Then, a translation is suggested, and the four translations are judged: the correct ones are acknowledged and the mistaken shown, along with the reasons underlying the mistake(s). To reach the precise meaning in English and judge the translations compared accurately, many English dictionaries are utilized. The comparison shows that the best translation in terms of meaning precision and easiness of expression is that of Ghali, followed by Pickthall's, Arberry's and Ali's respectively. Through combining a knowledge of translation theory and application, the present book aims at holding a semantic comparison of four English translations attempted by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, ‘Abdullâh Yûsuf ‘Alî, Arthur J. Arberry and Muhammad Mahmûd Ghâlî of Sûrat Ad-Dukhân (the Chapter of Smoke). As a theoretical framework, the book deals with several linguistic and cultural problems of translation, with special reference to Qur'ân translation, and the principles that should be considered on translating the Qur'ân. The core of the book is a comparison of sixty-eight lexical, syntactic and stylistic selections from Sûrat Ad-Dukhân. The comparison depends on various Qur'ân interpretations and Arabic dictionaries to decide the precise meaning(s) of the selections. Then, a translation is suggested, and the four translations are judged: the correct ones are acknowledged and the mistaken shown, along with the reasons underlying the mistake(s). To reach the precise meaning in English and judge the translations compared accurately, many English dictionaries are utilized. The comparison shows that the best translation in terms of meaning precision and easiness of expression is that of Ghâlî, followed by Pickthall's, Arberry's and ‘Alî's respectively. Dedication Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introductory Note List of Abbreviations and Symbols Transliteration of Classical Arabic Sounds List of Arabic Proper Names Transliterated Introduction 1 Translation: Some Problems and Suggested Solutions 2 Principles of Translating the Qur’ân 3 A Semantic Comparison of Four English Translations of Sûrat Ad-Dukhân Conclusion Appendix A: The Text of the Four Translations under Study References Summary Index Through combining a knowledge of translation theory and application, the present book aims at holding a semantic comparison of four English translations attempted by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali, Arthur J. Arberry and Muhammad Mahmud Ghali of Surat Ad-Dukhan (the Chapter of Smoke). By Saudi Sadiq. Oiginally Presented As: Thesis (m.a.)--jāmiʻat Al-minyā, 2007. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.