Analysis of English translations of Arabic religious texts with reference to skopos theory and text-type theory

الملخص EN

Translation is a practical human effort that is crucially important for communication among human beings.

this paper aims to critically analyse four translated religious texts and will identify which theory is more appropriate to their translation.

two theories were chosen that, taken together, allowed for a thorough analysis of the extratextual and intertextual factors that impacted on the translation process as evidenced in the texts.

the first was Vermeer's Skopos theory, which analyses the translation effort with reference primarily on the extratextual factors that influence the translation effort.

the second is Reiss' text type theory, which places a strong dependence on the intertextual factors alone.

using these theories, i have realised that the translated text is unlikely to reproduce the same effect that the original text had on the source addressee.

i concluded that it is vital for a translator, first, to analyse the st in terms of its producer, receiver, textual factors, function, type, content, style, and so on, and then to have a clear understanding of the translation skopos as well as the target addressee the text is intended for.

the present study has found that Reiss’s theory is more applicable to the translation of religious texts.

this is partly because the application of Vermeer’s Skopos theory in translating religious works is less useful, since the text both in generally and specifically is all purposeful and tend to deliver the intended message.