A Study on Quranic Metaphors in Two Translation Versions by Arberry and Yousef Ali

AStudy on Quranic Metaphors in Two Translation

Abstract

This research tried to examine the translation of Quranic metaphors in two versions by Arberry and Yousef Ali. After defining the metaphor and its types, it examined the metaphor in the Quran as a source text by regarding to the two Persian interpretation and the two English versions by Arberry and Yousef Ali as TTs. The metaphors of al-Hadid and al-Araf Surahs and forty instances are considered as the statistical community of the research. The data then were analyzed and results indicate that Arberry and Yousuf Ali, two translators of Holy Quran mostly cared about the source text in using Newmark's strategies in translating metaphors. Besides, reproduction of the same metaphor showed the highest rank which followed by reduction to sense, production of different metaphor and production of extension metaphor and conversion to simile and deletion. Finally, the achieved results can show the best strategy for rendering Quranic metaphors and weak or strong points of each translator. A general overview of the two translations by Arbery and Yousef Ali and the use of strategies can be concluded that both translated Quran versions are acceptable. And just in a few cases, such as applying the deletion strategy by Arberry or adding additional meaning which may change the content by both translators, they had a weak translation.