Identifying translation strategies employed by Yusuf Ali in translating culturally specific items in Surah Al-Baqarah
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/ajelp.vol13.2.6.2025Keywords:
culture-specific items, source language, translation strategy, translation, target languageAbstract
Translating the Quran from Arabic to English presents significant challenges due to the cultural and linguistic differences between the two languages. The Quran's status as a sacred text, believed by Muslims to be the direct words of Allah Almighty, further complicates the translation process. Each word in the Quran carries profound theological and cultural significance, which can be difficult to convey accurately in another language. Translators, therefore, must consider not only the literal meaning but also the deeper cultural and religious contexts of the text. To tackle these challenges, translators can employ various strategies. Newmark (1988) identified a range of translation strategies for dealing with culture-specific items (CSIs) which include transference, naturalisation, cultural equivalence, functional equivalence, descriptive equivalent, and componential analysis. This study examines the strategies used by Yusuf Ali in translating the culture-specific items in Surah Al-Baqarah. By analysing how these strategies are applied, the study seeks to understand how Yusuf Ali bridges the gap between the source and target languages while maintaining the intended meanings. The analysis shows that Yusuf Ali employs strategies such as modulation, cultural equivalence, naturalisation, and transference to achieve meaningful and functional equivalents in English, ensuring the message remains true to the original Arabic text.
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