Article published in:
FORUM
Vol. 17:2 (2019) ► pp. 127–148

On the translatability of Qur’anic pun

| Kuwait University
| The Hashemite University

This paper explores the translatability of Qur’anic pun. With reference to a phalanx of authoritative Qur’anic exegetes and three leading Qur’anic translations, and by drawing on ʿAtīq’s (1985) taxonomy of Arabic pun, and Delabastita’s (2004) model of pun translation, the study examines a four-fold classification of pun: (1) abstract pun, (2) immediate-meaning-oriented pun, (3) far-meaning-oriented pun, and (4) aided pun. Given the semantic indirectness and sophistication immanent in punning, it is argued that Qur’anic pun, as a rhetorical device, is quite thorny from a translational standpoint. The study reveals that three out of nine translation strategies have been used: the literal strategy, the manipulative strategy, and the situational strategy. The literal strategy capitalizes on the immediate meaning, and ‘auctions off’ or ‘pulverizes’ the punning meaning, which, subsequently, may result in incommensurate translation damage. The situational strategy involves adding, for the entire translation, a descriptive word or phrase between brackets, and the manipulative strategy advocates text-in-context perspective. The study wraps up with a proposal for the interpretive strategy, which hinges upon exegesis-driven paraphrasing. This particular translation strategy has a greater emancipatory potential.

Keywords: Qur’anic pun, translatability of pun, translation damage, manipulative translation strategy, interpretive translation strategy
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical model
    • 2.1Pun from a translational perspective
  • 3.Methodology
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Abstract pun/التورية المجرّدة
    • 4.2Immediate-meaning-oriented pun/التورية المرشّحة
    • 4.3Far-meaning-oriented pun/التورية المبيّنة
    • 4.4Aided pun/التورية المهيّأة
  • 5.Conclusion
  • References
  • Electronic references
Published online: 03 December 2019
https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.18017.kha
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Cited by

Cited by 1 other publications

Hassanein, Hamada
2022. Translating Semantic Cases from Qur’anic Arabic into English. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research 51:1 ► pp. 58 ff. DOI logo

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