Quranic and Hadith Researches of Modares

Quranic and Hadith Researches of Modares

Translating Proper Nouns in the Surahs of Yusuf and Maryam: A Comparative Analysis of Strategies by Persian and English Translators

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Author
English Department, University of Zabol
10.48311/QHTS/qhts.2026.117808.82902
Abstract
The Surah Yusuf is the most narrative Surah of the Quran in most part of which some lessons from the life of the prophet Yusuf is narrated. Using a descriptive-analytical approach, the present study aims to analyze and compare the strategies of Iranian and Western translators in rendering the proper nouns of the Surahs Yusuf and Maryam into English. For this purpose, first, the proper nouns of these two holy surahs were identified and categorized based on the classification of Valentine et al. (1996), and then, the strategy and method of translating these nouns were compared based on the Van Coillie’s (2006) classification of the approach of Persian and English translators in rendering proper nouns. The findings of the study confirmed that using corresponding equivalent was the dominant method of translating different subcategories of proper nouns into English. On the other hand, the tendency of Persian translators to use English equivalents of Arabic proper nouns was similar to their English counterparts, which indicates their adherence to the norm of target language and alignment with the linguistic taste of English-speaking readers.
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