At times, words or phrases in the Quran are not self explanatory and require exegesis (tafseer) to understand. So, what I'd like to discuss in this topic is which approach would be best in translating such words or phrases?
- Do nothing! The word or phrase is not explained in the Quran, so it shouldn't be in the translation either if we want the translation to be as close as possible to the Arabic text.
- Use footnotes to explain.
- Follow the word or phrase with an explanation between a pair of parentheses.
- Use some other means.
Case in point is
Which translation style do you prefer?
Footnotes:
Quote:
1. About what are they asking each other?
2. About the Grand Announcement?1
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1 The Day of Judgment.
Or parentheses:
Quote:
1. About what are they asking each other?
2. About the Grand Announcement (The Day of Judgment)?
I can think of several advantages to footnotes, which I'm inclined toward:
- The translation is as close as possible to the original Arabic, which is the objective of this project.
- The original Arabic style is maintained.
- The flow of the sentence is not interrupted and will be easier for the user to read.
I can also think of advantages to parenthetical explanations:
- Many people don't bother reading footnotes.
- Some people may be puzzled by the word or phrase and may be discouraged to read further.
Not be left out, I can also think of an advantage to the "do nothing" approach: Add mystery! Some readers will be anxious to study the exegesis books as a result of being intrigued by that word or phrase.
Vote for the approach you like best!
L.