Discussion Committee:
Dr. Sameer El-Isa / Supervisor
Dr.Ruqayyah Herzaallah /Co-Supervisor
Dr. Ahmad Ayyad /External Examiner
Dr. Nabil Alawi /Internal Examiner
Supervisors:
Dr. Sameer El-Isa / Supervisor
Dr.Ruqayyah Herzaallah /Co-Supervisor
Abstract:
This study aims at examining and evaluating three Ħadʒ and ҁUmrah English Guides. It tackles the various strategies, which are utilized to translate the Islamic signs. These Guides have included distinctive Islamic terminologies and signs with their particular denotative and connotative meanings and values.
The data are analyzed in each TT and then compared to the ST. Moreover, a description is done for the strategies that are used in translating them. This is to be followed by comparing these translations within the realm of translation strategies and procedures. These will also be accompanied by some suggestions, solutions and recommendations that the researcher produces in this study.
Throughout this study, it is shown that the cultural gap deepens the distance between Arabic and English which form the source text and the target text respectively. The absence of source text contextual features in the target language strengthens this gap. Cultural variation affects language use since terminology donates the particular values of both cultures.
The study points out that the religious terms involve physical or conceptual signs that are untranslatable because of their particular Islamic and historical significance which is related to the ‘Divine Power’ (Allaah SWT) and prophet Muhammad (SҁAҁAWS). It is found that the literal alternatives that have been utilized as signified for the Islamic signifiers do not achieve understanding for the target readers. The study demonstrates that the three translations proved to be inconsistent in utilizing alternative strategies for the untranslatability of certain Islamic terms.
The study emphasizes that utilizing domestication via literal translation affects accuracy and faithfulness towards the source text since an accurate Guide is undoubtly vital for non-Arab Muslims to allow them to perform Manaasik -l- ҁUmrah and al- Ħadʒ appropriately. Instead, the study shows that consistent transliteration with figurative (sharҁ) translation of the Islamic terms is a more effective solution for the untranslatability, and so the translators’ ‘skopos’ of informing and directing non-Arab Muslims to perform Manaasik-l- Ħadʒ and -l-ҁUmrah will be achieved.
The study ends with conclusions and recommendations.
Key words: denotative and connotative, cultural gap, contextual features, demostication, transliteration, untranslatability.