The translation of al-Mushakala (verbal similarity)‎ in the prophetic hadith into English : problems and strategies

Abstract EN

This research paper is an attempt to investigate Al-Mushakala, an Arabic rhetorical phenomenon, which can be observed in some literary and religious texts.

this phenomenon shows that a lexical item, while keeping its lexical sense, leaves out its original form and takes on the form of another lexical item explicitly or implicitly accompanies.

the study aims at : (1) investigating the features and types of Al-Mushakala.

(2) showing some difficulties a translator is likely to face when rendering some prophetic hadiths representing such a phenomenon into English.

(3) putting forward a rendering which adheres to a reliable prophetic hadith interpretation if there is none.

it is hypothesized that unawareness on the part of translators of the nature of Al-Mushakala and its intended meaning in some Prophetic Hadiths may give rise to literal and inaccurate renderings.

the study concludes that Al-Mushakala is a unique Arabic rhetorical phenomenon which represents an area of pitfalls for translators who opt for literal translation.