NP Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an

[pynchonoid]

Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an
by Khaleel Mohammed
Middle East Quarterly
Spring 2005

Multiple English translations of the Qur'an, Islam's
scripture, line shelves at book stores. Amazon.com
sells more than a dozen. Because of the growing Muslim
communities in English-speaking countries, as well as
greater academic interest in Islam, there has been a
blossoming in recent years of English translations.
Muslims view the Qur'an as God's direct words revealed
in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632).[1] Because
the Qur'an stresses its Arabic nature, Muslim scholars
believe that any translation cannot be more than an
approximate interpretation, intended only as a tool
for the study and understanding of the original Arabic
text.[2] Since fewer than 20 percent of Muslims speak
Arabic, this means that most Muslims study the text
only in translation. So how accurate are the Qur'an's
renderings into English? The record is mixed. Some are
simply poor translations. Others adopt sectarian
biases, and those that are funded by Saudi Arabia
often insert political annotation. Since translators
seek to convey not only text but also meaning, many
rely on the interpretation (tafsir) of medieval
scholars in order to conform to an "orthodox" reading.
...

...continues:
http://www.meforum.org/article/717



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