Translation strategies for Arabic stylistic shifts of personal pronouns in Indonesian translation of the Quran

Abstract

The stylistic shift of personal pronouns is one of the characteristics of the language style used by the Qur'an. Therefore, translation challenges arise due to stylistic differences between the source text (ST) and the target text (TT). This study analyses the translation strategies used in the latest edition (2019) of the Quran translation by applying Newmark's theory of translation methods and procedures and Baker's theory of textual equivalence, focusing on the referential element of personal pronouns. Four types of personal pronoun shifts are identified in this study: shifts from first person plural to first person singular and vice versa; from second person plural to second person singular; and from third person plural to third person singular. The study found that there are eight strategies used in translating these shifts, including literal, extended, idiomatic, compensatory, communicative, cohesive, functional, and combination strategies. These strategies can potentially be applied to translate personal pronoun shifts into other languages that have linguistic features like Indonesian. Although successful in translating the main message of the ST, these strategies cannot translate the stylistic impact of the style into the TT, except in the case of translating the stylistic shift of first person plural.