From Biblical Translation Framework to Quranic Analysis: Nida and Taber's Lexical and Syntactic Expansions in Three Persian Translations of Surah Al-Qiyamah

Authors
A. Yari 1
B. Lotfollahi 2
1 Assistant Professor at Imam Reza International University
2 Assistant Professor at Arak University
Abstract
Quranic translation has continuously presented challenges in simultaneously preserving both meaning and form due to its unique linguistic structures and characteristics. The rhetorical language, conceptual complexities, and profound religious concepts of the Quran have made the accurate transmission of its message while maintaining structural features particularly difficult for translators. Nida and Taber, within their theoretical framework for Biblical translation, introduced two types of expansion as translation adjustments: lexical expansion and syntactic expansion. This study, employing this framework and a descriptive-analytical method, examined these expansions in three Persian translations of Surah Al-Qiyamah (Fouladvand, Ansarian, and Elahi Qomshei). The selection of this surah was based on its complex linguistic structures, profound eschatological content, and specific translation challenges. The findings of this research demonstrated that Quranic translators have utilized the expansion patterns introduced by Nida and Taber, though the extent and manner of their application varies significantly. In lexical expansions, translators predominantly employed descriptive equivalencing and semantic restructuring. In syntactic expansions, which constituted a larger proportion in the translations, considerable differences were observed in the use of "identification of object and verb with abstract meaning" expansion across the translations. Qomshei, adopting a flexible approach, employed the highest degree of expansion, while Fooladvand, with a cautious approach, utilized the least expansion, and Ansarian demonstrated a moderate approach. The extensive use of "semantic restructuring" expansion can be attributed to translators' knowledge of Islamic exegetical sources and references.

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منابع
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Quranic and Hadith Researches of Modares
Volume 11, Issue 20
August 2025
Pages 304-323