A New Look at the Translation of the Holy Quran Based on the Components of the Translation Unit (Case Critique: Translations by Moezi, Payandeh, Makarem Shirazi and Ansarian)

Currently, there is no precise and all-encompassing model available for evaluating the translation unit in the translation of the Quran. To attain such a model, it is necessary to first analyze the effectiveness of the components of the translation unit. In this new study, we aim to examine the translation unit used in translating the Holy Quran. This essay starts off by looking at how translation theorists have approached the idea of translation units. Following that, a thorough study and analysis of the translation units utilized by Quran translators in Iran have resulted in critiques of their effectiveness in interpreting the Holy Quran. In this study, alongside the utilization of translation units suggested by Western theorists, an additional groundbreaking unit was employed—a sub-word unit—which has not yet been utilized by any translation theorists in the Western context as a recognized translation unit. This article employs a descriptive-analytical method to analyze the translation unit. The examined translations include Moezi, Payandeh, Makarem Shirazi, and Ansarian's translation. The research findings indicate that the translation of the Holy Quran can be approached using several units, such as word unit, sentence unit, thinking unit, text unit, culture unit, and even units smaller than a word. The choice of unit depends on the specific context of each verse and the perspective of the translator. The percentage of sentence unit usage among the mentioned translators is higher than that of other units. Based on the research findings, it is not permissible for translators to make any modifications to the content of the Qur'an during translation. Therefore, the recommended translation unit for the Holy Qur'an is the sentence unit, which has proven to be the most impactful.