Cultural-specific terms

Translation of the Holy Qur’ān has always been a challenging and contentious issue due to the presence of cultural terms. While some translators advocate for a literal word-for-word translation, there have been numerous interpretational versions of the Holy Qur’ān in various languages. This study examines the Persian and English translations of cultural-specific terms in the Holy Qur’ān from the perspective of accurate translation to compare them with the original Arabic version. Additionally, two interpretational books and a Qur’ānic dictionary were consulted to support the research. Seventy cultural terms were randomly selected from different parts of the Holy Qur’ān for analysis and comparison. The findings suggest that when translating such significant texts into a target language, the dominant language (Arabic) does not significantly influence translators’ strategies; rather, it is the cultural context that plays a crucial role in determining translation strategies. Furthermore, the study revealed that both Persian and English translators tended to prioritize accurate translation over non-adequate translation, indicating their commitment to remaining faithful to the original text.