نشریه پژوهش دینی
سال دوازدهم شماره 26 (بهار و تابستان 1392)

In any language, including Arabic, ironic expressions create images which give beauty to the language and increase its effectiveness. The Holy Quran, revealed in Arabic (in plain Arabic expression; al-Shu’ra’, 195), has such a high frequency of ironic expressions that, in studies dealing with the translation of the Quran, they need to be studied independently. Since it is not possible to deal with all the translations in a single article, we analyzed four frequently-used Persian translations of the Quran, i.e. translations of Elahi Qomshe’i, Hussein Ansariyan, Abolfazl Bahrampur and Mohammad Mahdi Fuladvand, and referring to works of interpretations such as al-Mizan, Majma’ al-Bayan, Nemuneh, etc., we identified some examples of ironic expressions in the Quran and, on the basis of vocabulary sources and interpretation of the Quranic verses, criticized the ironic expressions and their translations. Our attempts revealed that the translators have not followed a unique method in translating ironic expressions. In some cases, they have utilized literal translation technique; in other cases, they have used ironic equivalents; and still in some other cases, they have resorted to explanatory translation. At the same time, some translations have not been able to convey the ironic meanings of the Quran.

The Quran, as a book of guidance for man, utilizes some kind of language to express its lofty concepts that includes enough contextal capacity for various layers of meaning. How to translate these concepts from the language of the Quran into other languages has constantly been the subject of various discussions among scholars. Some scholars have not only prohibited translation of the Quran, but have also anathemized such an undertaking. Meanwhile, a lot of scholars, including the Shiite ones, have not only consented to the translation of the Quran, but have regarded this undertaking as a means for the expansion of Islam and the Quranic culture admitting all the flaws and weaknesses of human language. Following a review of the observations made about the translation of the Quran and the characteristics of good translation and examimning the lexical, morphological, syntactic and rhetorical features of seven translations of Surah al-Waqi’ah, i.e. Makarem, Ayati, Faiz al-Islam, Elahi Qomshe’i, Fuladvand, Saffarzadeh and Safavi, the present article attempts to explore the defects and flaws of the Persian translations of the Quran. Some flaws of the translations result from the accurate and complicated structures of the langauge of the Quran causing the translators to prefer one kind of translation to another. However, some defects result from ignoring the lexical, morphological, syntactic and rhetorical aspects. At the same time, some translators have resorted to free translation and have interpreted the texts without distinguishing the original text from its interpretive shades.

This paper seeks to compare the English translations of the Quran by Shakir, Arberry and Saffarzadeh and identify their likely flaws so that an understanding can be achieved about better and more accurate translation. The direct impact of translation on understanding the Quran correctly, especially for those who are not completely unfamiliar with Arabic, on the one hand, and the necessity for making loyal and accurate translations of the Quran into foreign languages, on the other, call for criticizing the existing translations of the Quran and revealing their strengths and weaknesses. The findings of the present research work indicate that although the three translations examined here are not considerably different, Saffarzadeh’s translation ranks relatively higher as it is based on interpretive translation technique, is simple and expressive and successfully utilizes current English equivalents. Also, her translation is more consistent with the text of the Quran since she has observed literary and rhetorical delicacies and avoided colloquial language.

The Quran is to guide all the generations as the Almighty God says: "Blessed is He Who hath revealed onto His slave the criterion (for right and wrong), that he may be a warner to the peoples” (al- Forqan, 1). In this Divine book, which is for the eternal guidance of mankind, every word has been used on the basis of an important reason but a review of the existing translations of the Quran seems to reveal that some of them are not efficient enough to help us understand the language of revelation and enjoy it. Using an analytical and comparative method, the authors of the present article have evaluated the translations of the last verse of Surah Yuuf and on the basis of theological, recitational and narrative perspectives, they have found out the flaws of some translations in rendering the message of the statement, «و ظنوا انهم قد کذبوا» (and suspected that they were denied). In fact, the interpreters and translators who have given such translations have tried to justify their work on the basis of some disputed hadiths. Examining the differences of recitation and recitational proofs, the authors have concluded that such translations cannot be justified on the basis of any kind of recitation and, hence, have rejected them.

Now that various languages impact people’s life and communications with each other, translation of the Holy Quran is of great significance since the public need to be informed about the guidance objectives of this holy book. However, to create an accurate and expressive work of translation, every translator needs to have the required translation skills as well as knowledge of different fields of study. Meanwhile, there are some requirements and scientific principles for translation of which a translator needs to be aware. The most important of these requirements are: etymology of words, recognition of the key words, understanding the revelation culture and ethnic linguistics, the role of texture in translation, changes in the meanings of words and knowledge of syntax and rhetoric.

Finding equivalents for the Quranic words by referring to dictionaries may not enable the translator to convey their real concept to the audience. Moreover, using synonyms or words having closer meanings aggravates this problem. The words ‘ejteba’, ‘estefa’, ‘ekhtiyar’, ‘estena’ and ‘ettekhaz’ are of this kind of nature. These words are often translated identically due to the proximity of their meanings. However, we know that every word has a meaning of its own. Using the applications of the Quranic verses and interpretations, this paper attempts to explore the meaning of the word ‘estefa’ and offer a suitable translation for it, so that it can be applied everywhere, suits the status of the Quranic verses and yet, be distinguished from other closer words. To accomplish this, first, the views of the earlier scholars on the meaning and interpretation of ‘estefa’ are discussed. Then, purification of its meaning is done. Finally, seyr-e mostafavin (the course of the chosen) over time and the meaning layers of ‘estefa’ are presented.