Why is the quran so hard to translate?

[ericmatthews]

The simple reason is that Islam is a mostly false religion. Sure, they get *some *things right but I personally don’t doubt that the devil was/is involved in keeping Muslims deceived.

can we please stop with all the “your religion is inspired by satan or your religion is cult” its rather judgemental

 

[Sister_Amy]

How about the language of the people?

The PEOPLE were Arabs. Silly. And the Qur’an has been translated, so there is no argument.

Sounds pretty racist to me.

For the record, I’m not Arab. The Meccans were accusing Muhammad of having a teacher of other religions (big surprise, Christians make this same claim today!) But the Arabic of the Qur’an is too pure to have been taught to him by a non-Arab. Yes Arabs are very particular about their language.

The Gospels were written in Greek, never Aramaic. Aramaic copies and forgeries came later.

I didn’t say “The Gospels,” though, did I? I said the Gospel. Singular. The Gospel was revealed (in Islamic belief) to Jesus. Jesus was preaching in Aramaic by most accounts, not Greek. Therefore…

It is not possible to disagree when someone says a translation is not as good as the original. That is factual statement as the author can use the nuances of their native language to help convey many levels of meaning.

Many levels, but it won’t be identically the same, will it?

Think about the many discussion about the Holy Bible. Imagine Shakespear translated into German (which I am sure has been done).

You see, it is possible to translate for meaning. See the example of the opera! We can translate it for meaning. But you cannot sing the translation the same way, can you? Thus is the Qur’an.

However, I find the first part of you post contradicts the later part of your post. First you say foreign tongues are wicked (or rather you quote from the Koran) and then you say it has been translated and is understandable. Which is it?

LOL!! You spun yourself a knot. I did not say foreign tongues are wicked. I quoted the Qur’an which said that the Meccans “wickedly pointed” to someone who they claimed was teaching Muhammad. It was their accusation which was wicked, not the foreign tongue. Do you speak English natively and understand the concept of an adverb?

SO, the Qur’an HAS been translated. Go to Barnes and Noble, you can pick it up, several English versions. I have a few myself. It has been translated, and can be–for meaning. However, once it is translated it is no longer exactly the same–just like the opera.

And no, I am not picking on you because you are a Muslim. I am pointing out logical inconsistencies with your statements which I would like to see you address.

If I have not yet sufficiently addressed them (in this post) then I shall endeavor to do so–please explain what is still to you seemingly logically inconsistent.

 

[Sister_Amy]

Then how come kids have no idea about God until you tell them about it?

Muslims believe that everyone was created with a pure nature, and that everybody seeks out God in their life.

For example… suppose someone is on a boat, and about to drown in a storm–to whom does he cry out for help? Absolute monotheism right there. “Oh God! Save me!”

 

[dolphinlove]

Hi Dolphy! I’ll miss you! Have a lovely, lovely time. Wish I could go with you! What a great time we’d have!

Vickie :hug1:

Thank you my dear sweet friend!
Yes, i think we would have a great time.
I really do hope you manage to get here for world youth day this year, Sydney that is, ill take you around and show you everything myself of course, and since your a fellow Catholic and pilgrim, id even let you stay with me!

 

[bpbasilphx]

While previous Prophets (pbut) were sent to bring the Message of the Lord only to their own people, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as the Final Messenger was sent as a Mercy to ALL of humankind and the Qur’an is the Last Testament which Allah has promised to preserve till the Day when the world comes to an end.

**Mahomet (pblt) was deluded by a demon pretending to be the Archangel Gabriel.

I confess there is no God but Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and Jesus is God Incarnate!**

 

[FaithofAbraham]

The message is the same in the Bible no matter the language. With the Koran, I cannot say.

Are you sure about that? If so why do atheists say Jesus was acting crazy when he withered the fig tree and things like that?

Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

Matthew 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

This thread is silly.

 

[dolphinlove]

I still did not get my answer, why is it HARD to translate, and when it is translated, it is not the same, it loses its ‘magic’ etc etc?

Too make it easier, why didnt God send the Holy Spirit out and give people the gift to spread it in different languages?

Why only give the quran to just one man who could only speak one language? Why not spread it to multiple people in different languages as the Holy Spirit did in the bible?

 

[FaithofAbraham]

I still did not get my answer, why is it HARD to translate, and when it is translated, it is not the same, it loses its ‘magic’ etc etc?

Too make it easier, why didnt God send the Holy Spirit out and give people the gift to spread it in different languages?

Why only give the quran to just one man who could only speak one language? Why not spread it to multiple people in different languages as the Holy Spirit did in the bible?

The Quran is translated now, the Bible didn’t appear in many languages all at once either haha.

Besides Jews say all the time Christians don’t really understand the OT unless they know Hebrew, and the elite Christians say that about the NT Greek. They just want to feel special and more knowledgeable, even though all those books are translated sufficiently to give the big picture.

What matters is if you can see the spiritual meanings, understand parables, and things like that. Otherwise it’s all useless anyway.

 

[Sister_Amy]

I still did not get my answer, why is it HARD to translate, and when it is translated, it is not the same, it loses its ‘magic’ etc etc?

It’s not hard to translate. I know plenty of people who can do it. But they still admit it’s just translation, their own interpretation and not inclusive of all original meanings. Of course it’s not the same translated–it loses its beauty but content is still the same.

Too make it easier, why didnt God send the Holy Spirit out and give people the gift to spread it in different languages?

Muslims have been commanded to spread the message, and that includes other languages.

Why only give the quran to just one man who could only speak one language? Why not spread it to multiple people in different languages as the Holy Spirit did in the bible?

I’m not going to answer this question because of the built-in assumption with which I disagree.

 

[dolphinlove]

The Quran is translated now, the Bible didn’t appear in many languages all at once either haha.

Besides Jews say all the time Christians don’t really understand the OT unless they know Hebrew, and the elite Christians say that about the NT Greek. They just want to feel special and more knowledgeable, even though all those books are translated sufficiently to give the big picture.

What matters is if you can see the spiritual meanings, understand parables, and things like that. Otherwise it’s all useless anyway.

Even though its translated now, arabic speaking people say its lots in translation and doesnt have the same meaning ha ha ha.

Thats Jewish opinion isnt it.
And your source of these ‘elite Christians’ saying that?

Yes with the bible i can understand it easily, what i dont understand is why people claim the quran is so HARD to translate?
Which im still waiting for the answer too.

 

[dolphinlove]

It’s not hard to translate. I know plenty of people who can do it. But they still admit it’s just translation, their own interpretation and not inclusive of all original meanings. Of course it’s not the same translated–it loses its beauty but content is still the same.

If the content is still the same, why doesnt the beauty remain as well?

Muslims have been commanded to spread the message, and that includes other languages.

Same as us Catholics, but why just get one man to do it, not spread it like the Holy Spirit did with many different people from different nations?

I’m not going to answer this question because of the built-in assumption with which I disagree.

Well i still think they are fair questions, why only use one man, and not many?

 

[FaithofAbraham]

Even though its translated now, arabic speaking people say its lots in translation and doesnt have the same meaning ha ha ha.

Thats Jewish opinion isnt it.
And your source of these ‘elite Christians’ saying that?

Yes with the bible i can understand it easily, what i dont understand is why people claim the quran is so HARD to translate?
Which im still waiting for the answer too.

I told you, Arabs say that the way Jews and some Christians say that about Hebrew and Greek. They want you to think they know more than you can know about it, so you blindly accept their interpretations instead of your own.

 

[paarsurrey]

It’s not hard to translate. I know plenty of people who can do it. But they still admit it’s just translation, their own interpretation and not inclusive of all original meanings. Of course it’s not the same translated–it loses its beauty but content is still the same.
Muslims have been commanded to spread the message, and that includes other languages.

Hi

I think Sister Amy has given a good response, for our friend dolphinlove, maybe he/she understand it.

Thanks

 

[FaithofAbraham]

Same as us Catholics, but why just get one man to do it, not spread it like the Holy Spirit did with many different people from different nations?

The whole Bible wasn’t translated into all languages at Pentecost, it wasn’t even completed at that time!

 

[Sister_Amy]

If the content is still the same, why doesnt the beauty remain as well?

I’m curious–do you speak any other languages?

You see, the beauty of a poem, for example, has to do with the phrasing, the words chosen. Sometimes they rhyme, they have a particular meter, as well as imagery. The Qur’an is in the same way–you can translate it. You can translate all the words, the images, but when I say you lose the beauty, you lose the rhyme, the flow, the meter–just like you’d lost with the poem. And that is part of the beauty. There is also an element of linguisitic eloquence which has to do with word order and emphasis words. In English words have to be in a certain order to make sense; whereas that’s not the case in a language like Arabic–the grammar is constructed differently.

Same as us Catholics, but why just get one man to do it, not spread it like the Holy Spirit did with many different people from different nations?

Same built in assumption.

Well i still think they are fair questions, why only use one man, and not many?

The answer is authenticity. How can you believe a collection of anonymous authors? And would you? Or would you believe just one man who you know was telling the truth, and who had no prior religious training or study, who had no other way of telling you except that it was from God?

 

[dolphinlove]

The whole Bible wasn’t translated into all languages at Pentecost, it wasn’t even completed at that time!

FoA
At least what was there WAS translated by God into many different languages at the time!

 

[dolphinlove]

I’m curious–do you speak any other languages?

Yes I do, Italian and French, broken French that is

You see, the beauty of a poem, for example, has to do with the phrasing, the words chosen. Sometimes they rhyme, they have a particular meter, as well as imagery. The Qur’an is in the same way–you can translate it. You can translate all the words, the images, but when I say you lose the beauty, you lose the rhyme, the flow, the meter–just like you’d lost with the poem. And that is part of the beauty. There is also an element of linguisitic eloquence which has to do with word order and emphasis words. In English words have to be in a certain order to make sense; whereas that’s not the case in a language like Arabic–the grammar is constructed differently.

ok, thats clear

Same built in assumption.

The answer is authenticity. How can you believe a collection of anonymous authors? And would you? Or would you believe just one man who you know was telling the truth, and who had no prior religious training or study, who had no other way of telling you except that it was from God?

God is the author of the bible, he inspired man to write it, so the author is not anonymous is he?

The primary author is the Holy Ghost, or, as it is commonly expressed, the human authors wrote under the influence of Divine inspiration. It was declared by the Vatican Council (Sess. III, c. ii) that the sacred and canonical character of Scripture would not be sufficiently explained by saying that the books were composed by human diligence and then approved by the Church, or that they contained revelation without error. They are sacred and canonical “because, having been written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, that have God for their author, and as such have been handed down to the Church”. The inerrancy of the Bible follows as a consequence of this Divine authorship. Wherever the sacred writer makes a statement as his own, that statement is the word of God and infallibly true, whatever be the subject-matter of the statement.

 

[tomshaikh]

Mr.Dolphine,

May Peace And Blessing To You All

You miss interpret your title.Its not hard to translate. It is very hard to understand for a ordinary person. And people who do research on The Quran for years known as Dr. or Br have no problem to translate it easily in same word dito to dito. Thats why people who translate The Quran went to Saudi Arabia or Other MiddleEast Muslim countries for knowledge of The Quran and get studied there in Islamic School. And forsure Allah/God say so that Allah am taking care of The Quran & Allah words will not be changed for ever. And Allah also took the responsibilty for Allah House i.e, Kaabah in Mecca,Saudi Arabia. See how much i have problem with English. i can’t use i, he, him for Allah/God. No doubt that Allah/God last words to Allah in ARABIC. Man i gotta learn Arabic the Sweetest Language of Our Beloved Prophet.

Hopefully i answered all persons questions.

 

[FaithofAbraham]

FoA
At least what was there WAS translated by God into many different languages at the time!

So by your reasoning since for example Paul’s writings didn’t exist yet at Pentecost, his are also inferior since they weren’t spoken in different languages there.

I don’t see a real valid point in all this.

 

[valient_Lucy]

I know this subject has been gone over a LOT of times, but i still dont understand why Allah would only have the quran in one language?
There is more than 200+ languages on this planet, and yet, the book he ‘revealed’ only comes in one language. I also have an understanding that it is only truly ‘understandable’ in arabic and loses its ‘translation’ when converted to other languages.
Why is this so? Can anyone shine some light on this for me please?
Thank you

According to my very limited understanding of Islam, the Quran written in the original Arabic is divine. Translating it into another language renders it “not divine.”