Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Associate Professor of Qur'an and Hadith Studies, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor of Istanbul Turkish Language and Literature, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Faces means the use of one word in multiple meanings which have different meanings in different situations. This topic in semantics is called polysemy. In this research, which is organized in a descriptive and comparative method, after the study of different faces and parallels of the word 'Din' from the viewpoints of semantics and traditional methods, the way of translating the different faces of this word in the Turkish-Istanbul translations will be investigated. This article has no equivalent in Islamic literature and this is the first one. Most of the translators have devoted their efforts to the fluency and soundness of the translation and have neglected the accuracy in finding equivalents of Quranic words and observing grammatical points. Of course, in the cases where the word 'Din' was included in the vocabulary, the performance of the Turkish translators has been appropriate to a large extent.
Introduction
Faces and parallels mean the use of a single word in different positions of the Qur'an, which has a different meaning in each position. The phenomenon of polysemy in semantics refers to the same type of relationship that is known as spiritual sharing in traditional terms, which is a word that can be used in multiple meanings, and polysemy does not include verbal sharing according to semanticists. The aspects and analogies in the Holy Qur'an can be considered as having multiple meanings. Some words in the language alone have several meanings and this problem is called polysemous and such words have multiple meanings.
The translation of the Qur'an into other languages began in the second century AH and there have been many discussions on this issue throughout history. The first Turkish religious translations started from the time of the Uighurs from Buddhism and Manichaeism, and with the acceptance of Islam by the Qarakhanians in the 10th century AD, Turkish translations of the Qur'an also began in order to learn and teach the meaning and concept of the Qur'an. According to historical sources, the Qur'anic verses were first translated into Persian during the time of Amir Mansoor Samanian by forming a delegation of scholars. The first Turkish translation of the Quran was most likely done at the same time as the Persian translation by the Turkish members of this delegation. Translations of the Qur'an, which started orally at the beginning, were made in most languages with the passage of time and according to the need. The translations made into Anatolian Turkish, the first of which took place in 1401 AD, have a history of more than six centuries. With the investigations that were done, we saw twice the number of translations done in Turkish compared to Persian translations. During more than six centuries, about 353 translations of the Turkish translation of the Qur'an into the Anatolian Turkish dialect (old and new) have been made, which also includes commentaries on this matter.
In the same way, it is difficult and very difficult to transfer the whole and perfection from one language to another language, and according to some linguists, a complete and flawless transfer is impossible, definitely, this difficulty in transferring religious books that mostly contain words and concepts related to religion is evident several times. Therefore, due to this difficulty, throughout history, we see word-for-word and between-the-lines translations of the Quran in Turkish translations. The language of religious books is also a link between the audience and the source of revelation. In the early Turkish translations of the Qur'an, we see that some of these translations were accompanied by the Persian language, and this issue is important in terms of the history of the Turkish and Persian translations of the Qur'an. In addition, the translations made in Turkestan and Anatolia are mostly subtitled in Turkish and Persian languages. One of the important reasons for this type of underline and word-for-word translations is the impossibility of translating divine sentences.
Considering that a historical and comparative study in Turkish (Turkey) and Persian translations has not been done so far, and in this upcoming research, which is organized in a descriptive and comparative method, an attempt has been made to eliminate these deficiencies, even if very little. In this research, after examining the different semantic aspects of the word religion from the perspective of traditional and modern linguistics, the way of translating the different aspects of the word religion in different Turkish-Istanbul (Turkey) and Persian translations has been analyzed synchronously. It seems that most of the translators - both in Persian and Turkish - whose translations have been discussed in the research, have spent most of their efforts on the fluency and soundness of the translation language, and have used accuracy in the equivalence of meanings. Quranic words are neglected based on Quranic aspects and analogues and grammatical points and linguistics have not been carefully considered.
Research Question(s)
Which Turkish translations can translate the word ‘Din’ in a good manner?
In selected Turkish-Istanbul translations of the Qur'an, which are among the most outstanding and available translations, it clearly shows the translators' inaccuracy in accurately and correctly translating the various semantic aspects of the word religion, of course, apart from the cases of verbal sharing.
Literature Review
There is no other similar research on this topic and our article is completely new.
Methodology
This research was organized in a descriptive and comparative method.
Conclusion
The findings of the research indicate the lack of accuracy in the translation of Quranic aspects and analogies in the Turkish-Istanbul translations. Of course, in cases where the word "religion" was included in the vocabulary, the performance of Turkish translators has been quite appropriate. So far in Iran, no research has been written about Turkish and Persian translations into the Persian language, and this scientific activity will open a door for deeper and scientific researches.
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