Translating the Particle لام„ ‟ /laam/ in the Noble Qur‟aan into English

Abstract

The research paper aims to investigate the challenges of translating the Arabic particle ‘لام’ /laam/ in the Noble Qur’aan into English. It highlights the dissimilarities in some selected renderings and identifies the type of translation equivalence the translators adopt in their renderings. To achieve these goals, the paper gives a brief account of the functions of the particle “Laam” and the meanings it produces in the Qur’aanic context. Thus, nine Qur’aanic texts containing the relevant particle have been analyzed and their renderings have been discussed. The study hypothesizes that the translation of the Arabic particle ‘لام’ /laam/ constitutes a problematic area encountered by translators, as it implies so many functions and meanings when used in different contexts. It also hypothesizes that the particle concerned cannot be realized in the target language by an equivalent particle alone, but also by other word classes such as verbs and adverbs of manner. Nida’s (1964) translation theory of dynamic and formal equivalence is adopted, giving priority to the dynamic one in conveying the required meanings of the particle in the TLT. The paper concludes that the multiple functions and meanings of this particle present challenges to translators, as its realization in the TLT can be achieved by utilizing other word classes.