Adopting Quranic Classical Literary Translation: Selected Parts of Jane Eyre as a Model

Abstract

The present paper argues that structures of the Holy Quran may be relied on as a source of eloquence, contributing to a more idiomatic and elevated translation of the English classics. Accordingly, the paper identified a number of significant Quranic structures that can be leveraged as a translation strategy. Then, the proposed translation strategy was applied to selected parts of Charlotte Bronte’s 19th-century novel Jane Eyre. To evaluate the efficiency of the strategy, the translated excerpts were presented against Muneer Baalbaki’s published translation of the novel to be assessed by a panel of experts comprising nine linguists and translators who provided their input and evaluation on a Likert scale of 1 to 5. Based on the statistical analysis of responses, the suggested translation was found to be fairly successful, scoring an average of 4.28 out of 5.00. The study revealed that Quranic structures can be selectively applied to texts following specific strategies and taking various aspects into consideration. Moreover, it recommends conducting further studies on Quranic vocabulary and rhetorical expressions that can also be utilised in the translation of classical literature.