The Translation of Quranic Metaphorical Expressions From Arabic Into English

The current study aims at assessing the translation of metaphors in three English translations of the Holy Quran, namely, Al-Hilali & Khan (2000), Y. Ali (2004), and Abdel Haleem (2005). In particular, it investigates the translation strategies adopted by the three translators to render ten Quranic metaphorical expressions into English based on Newmark’s (1988) metaphor translation strategies. Each Quranic metaphor is examined in its context based on the two tafsir (exegesis) books: Tafsir al-Jalalayn and Tanwir al Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbass. The translation strategies employed in the three English translations are assessed in terms of their suitability. The results indicated that the most frequently used strategies to render Quranic metaphors are reproducing the same image in the TL literally, converting metaphor into sense, translating metaphor by simile keeping the image, converting metaphor into simile plus sense, and reproducing the same metaphor combined with sense, respectively. The study concluded that the most efficient translation is the one provided by Al-Hilali & Khan (2000) as they tried to retain the metaphorical image.