Exploring the Retranslation Hypothesis in The Holy Qur’an’s English Translations

The present study aims at examining the Retranslation Hypothesis in the context of sacred texts by concentrating on their culture-specific terms (CSTs). The Holy Qur’an and its 9 English translations by Sale, Muhammad-Ali, Pickthall, Arberry, Irving, Nikayin, Starkovsky, Edip Yuksel et al, and the Monotheist Group were studied. As the initial step, Qur’anic CSTs and their equivalents were specified and the procedures being opted for in rendering them were identified based on Davies’s (2003) model. Then, the translators were grouped into three categories based on the time their translations had been presented. Finally, it was examined ‘whether the passage of time affected the kind of procedures adopted by translators’ and ‘whether the Re-translation Hypothesis (RH) is confirmed or disproved in the context of sacred texts’. According to the findings, earlier translators were more inclined to provide clarifying notes and explanations for their target text (TT) readers than the recent ones. Findings also revealed the 20th and 21st-century translators’ stronger inclination towards selecting general-neutral equivalents which may imply that later translators have strived more to make the source text simpler and more comprehensible for the modern TT audience. Finally, it was realized that, as far as The Holy Qur’an is concerned, the RH is disproved.