فنِ ترجمہ نگاری اور اردو تراجمِ قرآن: لسانی جہات اور درپیش مسائل

THE ART AND EVOLUTION OF QURANIC TRANSLATION: LINGUISTIC DIMENSIONS AND CHALLENGES IN THE URDU LANGUAGE

Abstract

This research article explores the linguistic and technical foundations of Tarjuma-Nigari (the art of translation), with a specific focus on the translation of the Holy Quran into the Urdu language. Etymologically rooted in Arabic and Persian, translation is not merely a linguistic shift but a complex process of transferring cultural, aesthetic, and spiritual nuances. The study highlights the historical necessity of translating the Quranic text to cater to non-Arabic speaking global audiences, tracing the evolution from the early Sahaba (companions) and Tabi'un to the pioneering Urdu translations in the Indian subcontinent. A significant portion of the paper is dedicated to the inherent challenges of translating a divine text characterized by linguistic miracles (I'jaz). These challenges include lexical gaps between Arabic and Urdu, the preservation of idiomatic integrity, and the risk of subjective interpretation. The article concludes that while a perfect literal translation of the Quran remains an impossibility due to its unique rhetorical structure, the tradition of Urdu translation has significantly enriched the language’s vocabulary and global reach.