Methodology and Critique of Translation of Selected Vocabulary and Combinations from the Holy Quran Based on Joseph Malone's Six Strategies

The examination and critique of translation involve addressing various dimensions of translation, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, and presenting a new style that expands critical strategies and provides a basis for enhancing the quality of translation. Today, there are various theories for critiquing and evaluating translations, one of which is Joseph Malone's theory. Malone introduces strategies such as equivalence (substitution and matching), expansion and reduction, recombination (scattering and condensation), alternation (divergence and convergence), fresh arrangement or encryption, and bridging for translation. In this study, using a descriptive-analytical method, the translations of Arfaʻ, Ostad walī, Āyatī, and Barzī of selected vocabulary and combinations from the Holy Quran are critiqued and examined based on Joseph Malone's pattern. Since the structure of Quranic verses is created based on linguistic, cultural, social, and other criteria, the selected translations are amenable to critique and evaluation based on Malone's approach, which is based on the aforementioned criteria. The research findings indicate that divergence and convergence in different elements of style, emotion, and figurative language are the focus. In the divergence section, most translators, except for Arfaʻ, have determined a suitable equivalent for each interpretation and expression, taking into accounts these elements, and has attempted to create coherence, connection, and convergence of meanings between the original text and the translation. In the convergence section, Quranic expressions, in accordance with this rule, are not reflected in the translation of any of the translators.