Translating Repetition in the Holy Qur’an: A Diachronic Analysis of Rhetorical Equivalence in English Translations
Abstract
In this study, the translation of repetition, which is a crucial rhetorical and stylistic aspect of the Qur’an, is analyzed in four major English translations of the Qur’an that span three centuries: Sale (1734), Rodwell (1861), Khan (1905), and Qaribullah and Darwish (2001). Qur’anic repetition has various purposes, such as emphasis, cohesion, or rhythmic prose, but when translated into English, where translation tends to favor lexical variety, specific challenges are posed. Using Vinay and Darbelnet, Nida and Taber, Baker, and Venuti as frameworks, this study utilizes a range of methodologies that are both descriptive, qualitative, and comparative in nature to analyze thirteen Qur’anic verses that involve repetition on three levels of hierarchy: word-level repetition, verse-level repetition, or non-verse repetition. This paper argues that while early translations tend to be more paraphrastic, reducing repetition, more recent approaches tend to be more literal, effectively conveying the oral nature of the Qur’an. Literal translation is found to be an effective translation technique in carrying the semantic, pedagogical, and aesthetic roles of repetition. This study contributes to the development of an analytical framework for the function of repetition as an indicator of rhetorical translation in sacred texts, resolving the conflict between linguistic equivalence and theological meaning. It also shifts the focus from repetition being an unnecessary stylistic device to an intentional rhetorical device in the Qur’an.