Evaluating English and Persian Translations of Surah Al-Baqarah in Light of van Leuven-Zwart’s Integral Translation Model

Some minor changes in the process of translation can lead to large deviations, especially in religious texts. Therefore, the present paper tries to address this issue through a descriptive and comparative study of translations of the Qur’an into English (Shakir and Arbery) and Persian (Elahi Ghomshei and Ansarian). To this end, van Leuven-Zwart’s descriptive and comparative model was used, which is in accordance with the descriptive translation studies paradigm. According to van Leuven-Zwart, integral translation is a type of translation, where the translator is not allowed to add or delete anything beyond the sentence level. Two forms of shifts can happen: at the micro level (clauses and phrases) and at the macro level (characterization and point of view). Presenting a rather complicated model, she attempts to reveal how the micro level can lead to the macro level. Findings show that the two Persian translations are more integral than the two English versions. This is perhaps because Iranian translators have more competency over the Qur’an or religious concepts in Persian and Arabic are quite similar; therefore, the strategy of borrowing can be used for many Qur’anic terms.