Cultural Difficulties in Translating the Meanings of the Holy Qur’an into English

Abstract

In the fact that, Islam is pronounced in Arabic and it is spread all over the world, the need necessitates the involvement of translation for better understandings and impacts. But, the translation of Islamic discourse creates challenges for both translators and scholars of linguistics, specifically when dealing with cultural level. The main aim of this study is discussing the translation of Qur’an, the first source of authority. In addition to that, this study is carried out to illustrate the cultural problems in translating the meanings of the Holy Qur’an, with reference to a number of culture-bound words in the Qur’an. The examples of the study represent not only expressions resembling the Islamic Era, but also the Pagan Arabs Era, as explicitly highlighted in the Quranic discourse. To have a solid, grounded and authentic discussion, three translations of the Qur’an are selected, reflecting different cultural backgrounds. In order to support the argument with religious viewpoints, a number of Qur’anic exegeses are incorporated to display the cultural and the technical meanings of the examples.