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Article published In: FORUM
Vol. 23:2 (2025) ► pp.242–273

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Rethinking the theoretical foundations of Quran translation

A case against instrumentalism

ORCiD logo with link | Ibnou Zohr University, Agadir
Published online: 17 November 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.25006.ela
Abstract
The debate on Quran translation has recently shifted to a particular focus on questioning its problematic state of the art. Beyond the oft-repeated discourses that routinely circulate around the (un-)translatability debate, crucial issues have come to the fore of current discussions on Quran translation, including Eurocentrism, theoretical inconsistencies, and the lack of clarity and balance with regard to concepts and definitions, among others. Following Lawrence Venuti’s standpoint in favour of hermeneutics as a way out of the impasse of the dominant yet instrumental thinking in translation studies, this article further contributes to the current debate on Quran translation, drawing more attention to the ambivalence and contradictions inherent in its scholarship. By means of conceptual analysis, the article aims to spell out the ramifications and negative implications of the instrumental orientation for Quran translation through the prism of the linguistic paradigm of translation; a paradigm that not only prevails over the translation theory and practice of the Quran but also translation studies as a whole due to the ongoing linguistic returns in the field. Also, the study argues that the special genre of the Quran lacks a consistent translation model entrenched in hermeneutic thinking, one that treats the activity of Quran translation as a form of interpretation.
Résumé
Le débat sur la traduction du Coran s’est récemment déplacé vers une remise en question de son état de l’art problématique. Au-delà des discours récurrents sur la (non-)traductibilité du texte, des enjeux essentiels se trouvent désormais au cœur des discussions : l’eurocentrisme, les incohérences théoriques, ainsi que le manque de clarté et d’équilibre dans les concepts et définitions, entre autres. Dans le prolongement de la position de Lawrence Venuti, qui préconise l’herméneutique comme issue à l’impasse de la pensée instrumentale dominante en traductologie, cet article contribue au débat actuel sur la traduction du Coran en attirant l’attention sur l’ambivalence et les contradictions inhérentes à son étude. À travers une analyse conceptuelle, il vise à expliciter les ramifications et les implications négatives de l’orientation instrumentale dans la traduction coranique, examinée sous le prisme du paradigme linguistique de la traduction — paradigme qui domine non seulement la théorie et la pratique de la traduction du Coran, mais aussi la traductologie dans son ensemble, en raison des retours constants au linguistique dans ce domaine. Enfin, l’étude soutient que le genre particulier du Coran reste dépourvu d’un modèle de traduction cohérent, fondé sur une pensée herméneutique, pourtant essentielle à la pratique de la traduction coranique en tant qu’interprétation.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Preliminaries: Quran’s sacrality
  • 3.The linguistic paradigm of translation and its instrumentalist basis
  • 3.Debating ambivalence and contradictions in Quran translation
    • 3.1Background
    • 3.2Problems and implications
  • 4.Concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • References
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