Semantic and Stylistic Problems Encountered in Translating Qur'anic Digression “Iltifât” into English: A Contrastive Linguistic Study

Abstract

This research paper aims to explore the digression ''Iltifât'' as one of the effective rhetorical devices used generally in the language of the Holy Quran. The purposive sample of the study was selected randomly from Qur’anic verses containing Iltifāt or digression and their renditions by three translators, namely, Abdel Haleem, Khan Hilali, and Pickthall. The study's findings revealed that the translations of the three translators adopted several translation strategies such as literal translation, couplet translation to render the Qur'anic digression, or shifting (Iltifat) expressions into English. Moreover, the study also indicated that both literal translation and couplet translation are not always adequate for translating the Qur’anic digression or shifting (Iltifat) expressions because they have not successfully maintained the meaning of the Qur’anic Arabic digression ''Iltifât'' (ST) into the Qur’anic digression ''Iltifât'' English version (TT).