Pickthall’s shortcomings in translating images of Qur’anic symbolic sounds

Abstract EN

The rendition of Qur'anic onomatopoeic or smbolic words into English seems to be a challenging task for a translator because the sense of the Arabic sound suggests an array of meanings that a translator may fail to capture.

The translator often tends to use an inadequate translation by omitting or overlooking other senses of the onomatopoeic word and limiting himself/herself just to one sense, giving the impression that their potential is limited.

This is due to the lack of familiarity with the Arabic phonological system, namely the function of Arabic sounds, their manner of articulation, and their suggestive power in portraying the image.

This paper is thus an inquiry into Pickthall’s shortcomings in translating the sound images in the Glorious Qur'an.

It specifically intends to demonstrate that onomatopoeic words are not only imitative of the natural sounds they denote, but more of a rhetorical device to maximize the effect of the message by developing rhythms and sounds.

The paper ends by making recommendations and suggestions for translators interested in the Holy Qur'an