Polysemy in the Holy Quran: Case Study of the Word " fitna"

Many studies have been done concerning translation of the Quranic words. Polysemous words are among several problems confronting translators. The word “fitna” and its derivatives are among polysemous words which are frequently used in the Holy Quran. According to several researches and Quran interpretations, the word “fitna” has 9 different meanings in the Quran, including: try, persecute, apostatize, seduce, dissent, grief, lesson, excuse and madness.The present paper aims to investigate how four translators of the Quran (Arberry, Pickthall, Yusuf Ali and Shakir) have translated the word "fitna" and its derivatives and to what extent these translations are in accordance with the different meanings of this word.To do this, all verses containing “fitna” or any of its derivatives were identified. Then, translations of these verses were analyzed in all four Quran translations. The results showed that in 60 percent of the verses containing "fitna" the translators had taken into account the various meanings of this polysemous word.