A Comparative Study of Loss and Gain in Three English Translations of the Qurʾānic Arabic Words of l-faḍli الْفَضْلِ)): A Semantic and Cultural Perspective

Anyone knowledgeable about Qur’anic Arabic words in general and the Qurʾānic Arabic words of l-faḍli الْفَضْلِ) in particular, can easily and appropriately deduce that the Holy Qur'an denotes meaning that cannot go along with any level of fulfillment through only one translation. Thus, this paper aimed at identifying the loss and gain in the rendering of the words of l-faḍli الْفَضْلِ in Qurʾānic Arabic through the examination of three translations of the Holy Qur’ān by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall (1930), Muhammad Muhsin Khan and Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali (1996), and Muhammad Abdel Haleem (2004). A qualitative descriptive paradigm was employed coupled with Baker’s typology of equivalence between Arabic and English. The study showed that in the context of the loss and gain in the translation of the Qurʾānic Arabic l-faḍli الْفَضْلِ into English, the aforementioned translators employed various translation strategies such as balanced translation, explication, free translation, and literal translation. The study found that the Holy Qurʾān in general and the Qurʾānic Arabic l-faḍli الْفَضْلِ in particular inevitably demand to be rendered in a historical and enlightening language environment and linguistic context for efficient communication and understanding.