Domesticate in the Name of Islam

Abstract

The difficulties in translating Islamic discourse from Arabic into English are well documented. This discourse presents many gaps at many levels (from linguistic to ideological gaps). But the translation of Islamic discourses written in English into Arabic has not been given much attention. Can it be assumed that the translation of Islamic discourse into Arabic is a reverse process of its translation into English? Can it be further assumed that its translation into Arabic poses less difficulties since it may be a mere matter of "back to the original"? This thesis examines these questions through the translation from English into Arabic of and commentary on the chapter "The Challenge of the Quran" from the book God Arises by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (2008). The commentary takes on board issues of language and culture in discussing two translations of the chapter (one by the researcher and one by a person who translates for a living). The purpose of this comparison is to assess the similarities and/or differences between the strategies used in both translations. The thesis concludes that in the translation of Islamic discourse from English into Arabic, not a usual translational direction for this discourse, full domestication (return to the original habitus), may be the one successful strategy.