Cultural Barriers in Translating the Qur’an into Low-Context Culture: The Word of God in Javanese Banyumasan

Abstract

In Indonesia, the text of the Qurʾan is available in nine different local languages. One of them is the Javanese dialect of Banyumasan, the oldest and most authentic among the local Javanese dialects. This variant of Javanese has an egalitarian character and is free from social stratification markers. This study aims to resolve the problems encountered by the translation team of Terjemah Al-Qur’an Bahasa Banyumasan who had to overcome substantial translation barriers due to the intercultural context. This study uses a qualitative approach. We found that socio-linguistic adaptation created significant barriers during the translation process. Certain topics require a distinctive vocabulary to reflect the original meaning and context correctly. Also, the use of a special set of words is needed to translate proper nouns. The translator’s decision to replace certain non-etiquette words with standard Javanese is to acknowledge the egalitarian character of the Banyumasan dialect in the translation, while yet preserving the original message of the Qurʾan and the intricacies of the Arabic language.