THROUGH A SEMIOTIC LENS: EXAMINING THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF BODY LANGUAGE IN THE NOBLE QUR'AN
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Date
0025-05-21
Authors
Alaa Yusuf Atallah Makharza
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Publisher
An-Najah National University
Abstract
The Holy Qur'an, as a sacred text, carries layered religious and cultural meanings that go beyond its verbal elements. It is rich with body language expressions which are considered a major challenge to translators because of the cultural and linguistic variation between the Arabic and English Languages. This study examines the translation of body language expression in the Noble Qur'an from a semiotic perspective. Applying Peirce's (1839–1914) theory of semiotic, the study explores how body language has been translated by comparing four English translations of fifteen selected instances from the stories of Prophets Noah, Ibrahim, Yusuf and Musa (Peace Be Upon Them) and suggest improvement in translation where necessary. The study analyzes the techniques used by the chosen translators - Hilali & Khan (2015), Shakir (1985), Pickthall (1996) and M.A.S Haleem (2005) to determine the appropriateness of translation and cultural sensitivity regarding the non-verbal signs in the Ayat. The findings show a significant variation in the way the translators dealt with non-verbal signs. The level of semiotic conformity achieved by each translator, categorized as either low or high, is also shown.