Although taste images are a prominent aspect of the figurative language of the Holy Quran, it has received little attention from Islamic exegetes over the centuries. In an unpublished study, Musa Al-Halool recently compiled an exhaustive list of 56 taste images in the original Arabic text of the Holy Quran. Considering that taste images in the Holy Quran have not yet been studied in English translations, the contents of this thesis are justified by the accidental omission or gap.
To remedy this gap, it is hoped that the thesis will draw attention to an important, but neglected, rhetorical/literary aspect of the Qur'an in English translations. By tracing the images of taste in the three selected English translations of the Holy Qur'an, this thesis will: 1) investigate the translatability of a prominent rhetorical unit in the Holy Qur'an into the target language. The study focuses on only three translations, and for this reason its conclusions cannot be generalized to other translations of the Qur'an.
The study will be exploratory, i.e. aimed at exploring and discovering effective ways to translate taste images in the Quran. Moreover, the thesis is of a qualitative nature in which selected taste images from the Quran will be analysed.
Definition of Gustatory Imagery
For the purpose of this thesis, I rely on well-established definitions of both types, then I will review the previous literature on the topic chronologically.
The Rhetorical Function of Gustatory Imagery in Qur’an
Qur’an text structure
Summary of the Literature on Gustatory Imagery
Ayahs that use the word "taste" to express God's trial and to experience his severe torture. Ayahs that use the word "taste" to express gratitude and experience the favor of God and His blessings. For the first type, the author defines the meaning of the word “taste” based on the classical Muslim exegete Al-Raghib Al-Isfahani as “having the taste in the mouth.
He mentions that in some verses of the Qur'an the word "taste" is used as a sensory medium for another meaning. The second type used in verses containing the word "taste" to express gratitude and experiencing God's favor and blessings is used in the Qur'an as a revolving metaphor. The word "taste" was originally used to mean taste, however, it is used here as a metaphor to illustrate God's grace in the mildest rhetorical style.
He provides a list of all 65 images of taste in the Qur'an that use the word "taste". Second, it is the first taste image in human history documented in the Qur'an.
Qur’an translators
Muhammad Taqi-ud Din Al-Hilali
While working at the Islamic University of Al-Median Al-Munawwarah, he collaborated with Dr.
Muhammad Muhsin Khan
Muhammad Marmaduke William Pickthall
Conclusion
Following Nida's formal and dynamic equivalence in translation throughout the analysis, this study will examine to what extent the figurative aspect of the Qur'an-ST was retained in the TTs. Moreover, it is a qualitative study in which a selected number of taste images from the Quran are analyzed. The variations of the translation will be statistically calculated in the last chapter of the thesis.
The original verses selected for the search had to include the word "taste" in all its variations. The samples in the first and second categories are relatively short; therefore there will be no need to divide them into subcategories. The method used to divide this image is according to that used in the original verses of the Qur'an.
This is seen where the constant is the word "قاذ" ("to taste"); the variables are the 'tasty' stuff, so to speak. The first subcategory provides all the real flavor images in the Qur'an with an in-depth analysis, while the other subcategories show all synesthetic.
Nida’s formal and dynamic equivalence
The idea behind this approach is to help improve the readability of the text, as a literal translation can sometimes be awkward. This form of translation is not a perfect paraphrase of the original text, but some fidelity to the original text will be sacrificed for the sake of readability. This approach is not the most appropriate when translating holy verses, especially when formal equivalence can provide the intended meaning (Shakernia: 2).
Justification for the translations used in this thesis
The Meaning of Taste in Arabic and English
This chapter lists all flavor images that include real images and synesthetic metaphors. Emphasizing the qualitative analysis, it provides a thorough examination of each flavor found in the Qur'an and compares them with their counterparts in English. This thesis will include and study all available data in the Qur'an regarding taste images, especially those containing the word "قوئ" which means "taste".
As mentioned earlier, two types of imagery are discussed: direct imagery and synesthetic metaphors. He will compare the Quran in its original language with three different translations of it. The discussion will highlight the strategies used by each translator in dealing with the translation of taste images and synesthetic metaphors.
The first part will analyze images of taste in which the word "taste" is used to refer to the actual act of tasting. As mentioned in the methodology part; the discussion is included in a table containing the original Ayah with the translations of Abdel Haleem, Al-Hilali & Muhsin Khan, and Pickthall.
Imagery of mercy
Let us cause mankind to taste mercy after some affliction that befell them, see. It is noticeable that all three translators have provided similar equivalent words that capture the image of the original verse using formal equivalence. It is noticeable that each translator chose a different word but used formal equivalence in his translation.
When We give people a taste of Our blessing, they rejoice, but when something bad happens to them – because of their own actions – they fall into utter despair. We make mankind taste mercy, they rejoice in it; but when evil befalls them because of (evil deeds and sins) which their (own) hands have sent forth, behold, they are in despair. We make mankind taste mercy, they rejoice in it; but if any evil befalls them in consequence of their own works, behold.
It is noticeable that the translations of Pickthall and AI-Hilali and Muhsin Khan have provided the same equivalent which is "we cause mankind to taste" and used formal equivalence in translation. His signs are that He sends the winds as glad tidings and gives you a taste of His mercy (i.e. rain) and that ships may sail by His command and that you may seek His bounty so that you may be grateful. We will certainly inform the disbelievers of what they have done and make them taste a severe torment.
When We give man a taste of Our Mercy, he rejoices in it, but if any harm befalls him because of what he has done with his own hands, he is ungrateful.
Imagery of death
And whoever is removed from the Fire and admitted to Paradise is truly successful. And on the Day of Resurrection you will be paid only what you have honestly earned. He who is removed from the fire and made to enter Paradise is truly victorious.
All three translators gave the same formal equivalent word that captured the image in the Ayah. All three translators translated this image into the same equivalent with variations in lexical choice. In accordance with sentence structure; we see that Pickthall and Hilali and Muhsin Khan's translations used the same sentence structure as the original Ayah in Arabic, but Abdul Haleem changed the sentence structure to make it resemble sentences in English.
It is noted that all translators have captured her image using formal equivalence with similar lexical choices. TT Rhetorical device Figurative metaphor Translation strategy Adopted Formal equivalence Translator AI-Hilali & Muhsin Khan. 35) All will taste death and We will try you with evil and with good. Adopted translation strategy Formal equivalence. 35) Every soul must taste death, and We test you with evil and with good as a test.
All three translators have provided the literal meaning to the first and third Ayahs in this category. The translators used the same sentence structure as well as the formal equivalence in their choice of words. As seen from the above four extracts, Qur'anic imagery must be translated into a structurally equivalent simile (i.e. explanation of the simile components), by the exact intended meaning of the comparative with, the comparative and the particle used in the original text , to preserve. .
While this can be achieved using the dynamic equivalence, it is better to use the formal to preserve the imagery of the original text. We learned that a large proportion of images were translated using formal equivalence, especially in images of mercy and images of death, while some were translated using dynamic equivalence. However, the taste images would be lost if the dynamic equivalence were used instead of the formal equivalence.
Images of worldly and otherworldly torture
Findings and Conclusions
This thesis consists of 3 chapters and an introduction; In the introduction, I introduced the topic of this thesis in general. The next chapter dealt with previous works that discussed the same subject, but in Arabic. The third chapter, also the analysis of this study, consisted of three major parts: images of mercy, images of death, and images of worldly and extraterrestrial torture.
Suggestion for further research
