Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the adequacy of equivalence as a theory for Qur'an translation. To accomplish this goal, we had, first, to discuss, in brief, the concept of equivalence and its relevance to Qur’an translation; second, to explicate the different linguistic approaches to translation and the purposes that each is designed to fulfill, with special reference to Newmark (1982); third, to stretch the linguistic approaches to limit to provide for all theoretically possible approaches; and last, to find, on theoretical as well as practical bases, which of these approaches is suitable for Qur'an translation, if any. The paper reveals the rich potential of equivalence as a theory for Qur’an translation, and suggests further research topics that are highly needed for a full-fledged theory on Qur’an translation.

Key words: Qur’an translation, equivalence, translation theory, semantic translation, communicative translation, literary translation.