This study aims at finding out the best method for translating Quranic metonymies. The principle goal of this research is to approach and highlight the translation of distinct the metonymies. The data analyzed consists of three verses from the Holy Quran representing three types of metonymy and their translations offered by each of the translators (Abdullah Yusuf Ali ) (Mohammed Marmaduke Picktal ).It has been shown through research that the best translated is a translation which renders equivalence of the source language; that is to say, the best translation gives the target language a rhetorical advantage where the translator has grasped and assimilated the meaning in the source language and has found a proper equivalent of the SL to render it in the TL.
Introduction:
One of the many problems in translation is about the message; the means of communication in which the message of the SL is conveyed.Sometimes the message of the SL in rendered in figurative language and this figurative language may involve exaggeration. The commonly used figurative language in Arabic texts is “Metonymy”. The word “Metonymy” is a figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted by another which is closely associated to it.For instance, the use of “Washington” as a reference to the “United States government”, or the use of “sword” to indicate “military power” .
As mentioned before, this study aims at examining of the issue of the Metonymy in the Holy Quran and investigating the most suitable approach to translate the Metonymy.Metonymy in particular and figurative language in general represent an essential part of the content of the Quran. For the sake of preciseness, the principle goal of this study is to investigate the translation of distinct the metonymies in Quran; those metonmies are characterized by affectivness, accurateness, informativeness beside highly experessive ability. The material under investigation in this research consists of three verses from the Holy Quran– representing three types of metonymy—and their translations rendered by each of the translators (Abdullah Yusuf Ali) (Mohammed Marmaduke Picktal). The ubove mentioned English translation will be compared to the interpretation of “الكشاف الزمخشري”. Al Zamakhshary was chosen because he is known for extracting graphic images and commenting on them linguistically and rhetorically. This is the same approach which characterises the method of interpretation adopted in the two collections of metonymy :
(القران والصورة البيانية لعبدالقادر حسين 1985)
(البيان في ضوء أساليب القران لعبد الفتاح لاشين| 1985 ) .
Translation dealt with in this research can be classified into three types:
-Literal translation.
– Literal translation includes interpretation.
– Equivalent translation.
With the advent of many translations, it is agreed that there is not a literal translation of the Quran, and all translations until now is the translation of the Quran meanings only. To illustrate this fact, a number of the verses in the holy Quran and their translations will be approached. These verses display the use of metonymy.
Literature review:
The word “ metonymy” is defined according to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary as:
a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated (as “crown” in “lands belonging to the crown”).
However, in Cognitive Linguistics metonymy has generally been described as one form of what Lakoff (1987) calls an “idealised cognitive model” (or ICM). An ICM is an organised conceptual model. In other words, it can be defined as “a knowledge domain which results from the activity of a structuring principle. Metonymy was first described in cognitive terms by Lakoff and Johnson (1980: 39) as a process which “allows us to conceptualize one thing by means of its relation to something else”. However, this definition is not sufficient to understand the nature of this phenomenon and its relation to metaphor. In a more refined account, Lakoff and Turner (1989) have described metonymy as a conceptual mapping within a single domain which involves a ‘stand-for’ relationship and has mainly a referential function. According to Lackoff and Johnson the concept of ICM is meant to include not only people’s encyclopedic knowledge of particular domain, but also the cultural models that are part of it.
In his research, “Cognitive Bases of Translating Metonymy”, Mohammad Nihad Ahmed wrote that Lakoff and Johnson (1980:39) ground metonymy on the basis of experience and structures of thoughts and action (C.f. Gibbs, 1994:324). Nihad adds that, the use of metonyms in language is primarily a reflection of general conceptual constructions and is motivated by general cognitive biases. Finally, he reaches the conclusion that the conceptual phenomenon of metonymy is linked with the process of contiguity (Radden and Kovecses, 1999:11; Nelich and Clarke, 200b1: 249).
Significance of Research:
The significance of the current research can be:
• To draw attention to the problem of translation of the Quranic metonymy. It may not be appreciated by many translators, the thing which leads to dropping the transfer of the semantic meaning of the Quranic text. Thus, failing in communicating the intended meaning.
• Contributing to the studies and research that are highly focused on translations of the Quranic metonymy.
Research questions:
The study aims to answer the following questions:
– What are the methods used by the translators to translate metonymy?
– To what extent does the translator succeed in conveying the meaning and the rhetorical impact of the metonymy?
– To what extent do these methods succeed in reaching the intended meaning?
Research methodology:
This study aims to find the best method for translating Quranic metonymies. Hence, three metonymies will be extracted from the holy Qur’an and displayed in two translations in order to guarantee a correct and full understanding of the verse , or part of a verse , containing the metonymy. This research focuses on analyzing and comparing the Qur’anic verses that contain those three types of metonymy :
– (Metonymy for an attribute)
– (Metonymy for an attributed )
– (Metonymy for proportion or relationship )
Metonymy for an attribute :
This type of attribute (or attributes)is associated semantically with another attribute.The metonymic meaning is reached by means of this association (Mahdi 13), the following Quranic verse illustrates this type:
ورد في الآيه 42 من سورة الكهف قولة تعالى : ( وأحيط بثمره فأصبح يقلب كفيه على ما أنفق فيها وهي خاوية على عروشها ويقول يا ليتني لم أشرك بربي أحدا ) . [الكهف : 42 ]
جاء في تفسير الكشاف الزمخشري قوله ” تقليب الكفين كناية عن الندم والتحسر لأن النادم يقلب كفيه ظهرا لبطن كما كنى بذلك بعض الكفار السقوط في اليد , ولأنه في موضع الندم عدى تعديته بعلى كأنه قيل فأصبح يندم … ”
(الزمخشري .د ت. ج2 :485 )
A. Y. Ali translated ( يقلب كفيه ) as “twisting and turning his hands” using the two verbs, or actions, synonyms in the English language: “to turn” and to “twist”. Therefore, Ali translated the Quranic Metonymy is Literal translation:
So his fruits (and enjoyment) were encompassed (with ruin), and he remained twisting and turning his hands over what he had spent on his property, which had (now) tumbled to pieces to its very foundations, and he could only say, “Woe is me! Would I had never ascribed partners to my Lord and Cherisher! (Ali 144)
On the other hand, Pickthall translated: (يقلب كفيه) ) as “to wring hands”; it is used in English to refer to grief and despair, it agreed with الزمخشري)) on the same meaning, therefore, it is translated using equivalent translation: “Then he began to wring his hands for all that he had spent upon it, when (now) it was all ruined on its trellises, and to say: Would that I had ascribed no partner to my Lord!” (Pickthal 123).
– Metonymy for an attributed :
In this type of metonymy, an attribute may be used, which is strongly associated with a certain referent (person or object) (Mahdi 13). The following Quranic verse illustrates this type:
ورد في الآيه 37 من سورة فاطر قولة تعالى (هم يصطرخون فيها ربنا أخرجنا نعمل صالحا غير الذي كنا نعمل أولم نعمركم ما يتذكر فيه من تذكر وجاءكم النذير فذوقوا فما للظالمين من نصير ) [ فاطر : 37 ] .
جاء في تفسير الكشاف الزمخشري في عبارة (وجاءكم النذير ) مايلي ” أي الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم , وقيل الشيب , (الزمخشري . د ت . ج3 :311 ) والكناية في قوله تعالى : ( وجاءكم النذير ) هي كناية عن موصوف وهو الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم أو المقصود به الشيب كما قال الزمخشري .
A. Y Ali translated this verse as:
There in while they cry a bud (for as stance): our lord! Bring us out :
We shall work righteousness, not the (deeds) we used to do! Did we not give you long enough. Life so that he that would should receive admonition? And ( moreover ) the Warner came to you, so taste ye ( the fruits of your deeds ) : for the wrong – doers there is no helpers (Ali 223).
Ali. Translated, this word (النذير ) as the word “ the Warner”. This word bears several meanings in the English language ; it could be “the amount” , “detective” ,or “the prognostic”.
On the other hand, Pickthall translated it as:
And they cry for help there (saying): our lord!Release us; we will do right , not (the wrong ) that we used to do , did not we grant you a life long enough for him who reflected to reflect therein? And the warner came unto you .Now taste (the flavor of your deeds ). For evil doer have no helper (178).
Thus, Pickthall translated this word النذير )) as “the Warner”; same translation by Ali . Previous translations are literal translation because they match meaning of the prophet Mohammad but did not match second meaning, meaning of graying .
Metonymy for proportion or relationship :
In this type, some characteristic can be ascribed to or ruled out from the referent when both the attribute and the attributed referent are mentioned ( Mahdi 13-14 ). The following Quranic verse illustrates this type :
ورد في الآيه 56 من سورة الزمر قوله تعالى : (أن تقول نفس يا حسرتي على ما فرطت في جنب الله إن كنت لمن الساخرين ) [ الزمر : 56 ] .
كما جاء في تفسير الزمخشري ” والجنب الجانب , يقال أنا في جنب فلان وجانبه وناحيته و فلان ليِن الجنب والجانب وقالوا فرط في جنبه و في جانبه يريدون في حقه , و هذا من باب الكناية لأنك إذا أثبت الأمر في مكان الرجل وحيزه فقد أثبته فيه ” (الزمخشري . د ت , ج3 : 404 ) .
Ali. A. Y translated this verse as :”Let the soul (then) says: An! Woe is me ! In that I neglected (My duty ) towards Allah and was but among those who mocked! (233)”. Ali. Translated (فرطت في جنب الله ) as “I neglected (my duty ) towards Allah”. Thus, his translation matchs the meaning of the metonymy .
Pickthall translated the verse as :”Lest any soul should say : Alas , my grief that I was unmindful of Allah , and I was indeed among the scoffers ! ” (189) . Pickthall translated it as “I was unmindful of Allah” meaning” كنت غافلا عن الله .Picktal translation is a literal translation matching the destination of Quranic metonymy. Therefore , Ali translated is an equivalent translation.
Limitation of The Research:
This study focuses on a certain type of rhetoric (the metonymy) on three examples from the Holy Quran containing metonymy based on the two scientists translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s and Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthal’s.
Expected Results:
It has been shown that the translators of the researcher did not succeed in transferring the content of metonymy due to linguistic and cultural differences between English and the Arabic of the Quran, and because of the Arabic Language in general and its unlikeness to the other language.
It has been shown through research that the best translation for the metonymy is equivalent translation where this translation gives the target language a rhetorical advantage and a guide to enable the translator to approach a proper understanding of the source language and then find an equivalent in the target language.