The Translation of Islamic Women-Related Legal Terms and Metaphors: A Comparative Study of Fazlul Karim’s (1938) and Robson’s (1963) Versions of Mishkat-ul-Masabih

Abstract

Through the instrumentality of the translation allusions strategies proposed by Leppihalme (1997) and the Skopos-plus-loyalty approach developed by Nord (1997), the present study scrutinizes the English translation of six Islamic-legal terms and six metaphors used for women in selected Prophetic Hadith from two English versions of Al-Tabrīzī’s (d. 1348 A.D.) Mishkat-ul-Masabih that have been translated by Fazlul Karim (1938) and Robson (1963). The results indicate that Fazlul Karim’s (1938) translation of the of Islamic-legal terms shows his commitment to provide the Muslim reader with the necessary Islamic rulings and opinions taken from the Prophetic Hadith. However, the language in his translation is found to be incomprehensible in many cases because it strictly adheres to the Arabic structure. By comparison, Robson’s (1963) language appears natural and the terms are translated more accurately regarding the ‘general meaning’ of the word. In addition, his translation is comprehensible and coherent.  Fazlul Karim’s (1938) translation of metaphors of women shows that, in most cases, he uses an inaccurate translation for the respective metaphor. Robson (1963) is found to be consistent with his skopos of using natural English. This study is an attempt to shed light on the importance of gaining knowledge about the culture that surrounds the terms related to women and its effects on translation. It endeavors to draw attention to the role of translation in reflecting the appropriate status and societal role of women at a particular time with special emphasis on terms that consist of a combination of physical, social, and legal aspects.