Holy Qur'ān

  Second-year Translation students, Wafa Al-Qahtani, Raneem Riyad, and Renad Al-Fudailii, delivered a webinar titled: "Translation of Metaphors, Metonymy, and Similes in the Holy Quran" at a regular biweekly event organized by the Language Research Center (LRC) on November 11, 2020. LRC Director, Dr. Ismail Alrefaai, and Dr. Eyhab Bader Eddin MCIL CL MITI sincerely thanked the students for their participation, which allowed for a better understanding of the challenges involved in rendering the sacred text into English, as the classical Arabic in which it is written is lexically complex with unique linguistic features.   The presenters highlighted the significance of how challenging it is for translators to translate the Quran's rhetorical features or tropes. The presentation was centered on three kinds of tropes – Metonymy, Simile and Metaphor.   Wafa began her part by talking about Metonymy, explaining its etymological background with some relevant examples. Metonymy, she added, is a critical figure of speech, which significantly plays an important role in expressing the accurate meaning of particular messages in the Holy Quran. She explained in detail the role of Metonymy in the Holy Quran by comparing different examples of Quranic translation. The examples conspicuously highlighted the extent to which translators maintained Metonymy in translating the Quranic verses.   Raneem focused on how to translate Simile in the Holy Quran. She first defined the term etymologically and explained in detail with an example. Simile, she explained, is a figure of speech in which one thing is likened to another in such a way as to clarify and enhance an image. While comparing two versions of Quranic translation, she highlighted ambiguity in using a word that may confuse English readers or non-native Arabic speakers. She also focused on how the actual meaning is lost or not adequately expressed in such translation.   Renad's part was centered on Metaphors. She defined the term with an example. Metaphors, she said, is a figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of another. While comparing two versions of Quranic translation, she pointed out the metaphorically more accurate version that conveys proper metaphorical sense.   The presenters came up with the conclusion that translating the Holy Quran involves tremendous challenges. The difficulty increases in the case of translating a sacred book like the Holy Quran as it needs an honest transfer of meaning. Also, the fact that many Arabic words do not have exact English equivalents makes translation even more challenging. It was undoubtedly a very informative webinar, garnering the active participation of both male and female faculty members and students alike.   The Master of Arts in Translation program at the Faculty of Languages and Translation is committed to providing student-centered professional development activities that are consistent with program learning outcomes and labor market developments. Date: 11/12/2020 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique

  Second-year Translation students, Wafa Al-Qahtani, Raneem Riyad, and Renad Al-Fudailii, delivered a webinar titled: "Translation of Metaphors, Metonymy, and Similes in the Holy Quran" at a regular biweekly event organized by the Language Research Center (LRC) on November 11, 2020. LRC Director, Dr. Ismail Alrefaai, and Dr. Eyhab Bader Eddin MCIL CL MITI sincerely thanked the students for their participation, which allowed for a better understanding of the challenges involved in rendering the sacred text into English, as the classical Arabic in which it is written is lexically complex with unique linguistic features.   The presenters highlighted the significance of how challenging it is for translators to translate the Quran's rhetorical features or tropes. The presentation was centered on three kinds of tropes – Metonymy, Simile and Metaphor.   Wafa began her part by talking about Metonymy, explaining its etymological background with some relevant examples. Metonymy, she added, is a critical figure of speech, which significantly plays an important role in expressing the accurate meaning of particular messages in the Holy Quran. She explained in detail the role of Metonymy in the Holy Quran by comparing different examples of Quranic translation. The examples conspicuously highlighted the extent to which translators maintained Metonymy in translating the Quranic verses.   Raneem focused on how to translate Simile in the Holy Quran. She first defined the term etymologically and explained in detail with an example. Simile, she explained, is a figure of speech in which one thing is likened to another in such a way as to clarify and enhance an image. While comparing two versions of Quranic translation, she highlighted ambiguity in using a word that may confuse English readers or non-native Arabic speakers. She also focused on how the actual meaning is lost or not adequately expressed in such translation.   Renad's part was centered on Metaphors. She defined the term with an example. Metaphors, she said, is a figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of another. While comparing two versions of Quranic translation, she pointed out the metaphorically more accurate version that conveys proper metaphorical sense.   The presenters came up with the conclusion that translating the Holy Quran involves tremendous challenges. The difficulty increases in the case of translating a sacred book like the Holy Quran as it needs an honest transfer of meaning. Also, the fact that many Arabic words do not have exact English equivalents makes translation even more challenging. It was undoubtedly a very informative webinar, garnering the active participation of both male and female faculty members and students alike.   The Master of Arts in Translation program at the Faculty of Languages and Translation is committed to providing student-centered professional development activities that are consistent with program learning outcomes and labor market developments. Date: 11/12/2020 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique

  Dr. Amal Metwally delivered a presentation titled 'Linguistic Markers of Metaphor in the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān towards a Computational Identification' that was based on her Ph.D. thesis at a seminar organized by the Language Research Center on November 20, 2019.   Her study, she said, attempted to establish the appropriate criteria for the computational identification of metaphors, and propose computer software for identifying metaphor candidates in the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān. The study was based on Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) cognitive theory of metaphor, Goatly's (1997) research on metaphor in the Qur'ān, and computational studies of metaphor in general. It also focused on the early research by Arab rhetoricians and grammarians on metaphor.   Dr. Metwally's study explored linguistic markers of metaphorical candidates and identified linguistic markers of lexical items that were likely to be metaphorical. It also explored the use of such markers to create a computer application that could identify metaphors in the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān in the selected Sūrahs (Sūrat Hūd, Sūrat Yūsuf, and Sūrat Ar-Rā'd). She then explained in detail the corpus used, the methodology adopted in her study, and the overall structure of her research. Dr. Metwally then explained the cognitive theory of conceptual metaphor and computational linguistics.   Dr. Metwally's study concluded that it represented a novel direction for computational linguistics research on metaphor. Computer software for processing an entire corpus (selected Sūrahs from the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān) that could yield a list of potential metaphors would thus seem to be a welcome addition to the set of tools currently available to metaphor analysts.   The seminar was very interactive and a notable success. It is worth mentioning that Al-Samer Women’s College and the main campus for the Bachelor of Arts in English program also attended the seminar via teleconference.   Date: 11/21/2019 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique

  Dr. Amal Metwally delivered a presentation titled 'Linguistic Markers of Metaphor in the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān towards a Computational Identification' that was based on her Ph.D. thesis at a seminar organized by the Language Research Center on November 20, 2019.   Her study, she said, attempted to establish the appropriate criteria for the computational identification of metaphors, and propose computer software for identifying metaphor candidates in the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān. The study was based on Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) cognitive theory of metaphor, Goatly's (1997) research on metaphor in the Qur'ān, and computational studies of metaphor in general. It also focused on the early research by Arab rhetoricians and grammarians on metaphor.   Dr. Metwally's study explored linguistic markers of metaphorical candidates and identified linguistic markers of lexical items that were likely to be metaphorical. It also explored the use of such markers to create a computer application that could identify metaphors in the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān in the selected Sūrahs (Sūrat Hūd, Sūrat Yūsuf, and Sūrat Ar-Rā'd). She then explained in detail the corpus used, the methodology adopted in her study, and the overall structure of her research. Dr. Metwally then explained the cognitive theory of conceptual metaphor and computational linguistics.   Dr. Metwally's study concluded that it represented a novel direction for computational linguistics research on metaphor. Computer software for processing an entire corpus (selected Sūrahs from the Ever-Glorious Qur'ān) that could yield a list of potential metaphors would thus seem to be a welcome addition to the set of tools currently available to metaphor analysts.   The seminar was very interactive and a notable success. It is worth mentioning that Al-Samer Women’s College and the main campus for the Bachelor of Arts in English program also attended the seminar via teleconference.   Date: 11/21/2019 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique

  Students at the Faculty of Languages and Translation attended a workshop organized by the Intellectual Awareness Unit on Tuesday, 12/7/1440 at Faculty of Islamic Legislation. The workshop which was held by Dr. Lamya Alqadi focused on Qur’anic values and their impact on intellectual security.   Dr. Alqadi started her speech with the prophetic tradition narrated by ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan that the Prophet said (ﷺ): “The best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it" [al-Bukhari and Muslim]. The Qur’an advocates many values that shape one’s intellectual and spiritual journey to Allah the Almighty, Dr. Alqadi illustrated. "We can’t limit Islamic values into a few core values. However, the most important values and practices were identified by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) himself. We need to adhere to the Qura'nic values and to follow the instructions in the Holy Qur'an as well as prophetic traditions in every step in our life", she affirmed.   The values of truthfulness, purity, faithfulness, honesty, good intention and many other values are illustrated in the Qur’an. Allah the Almighty says “Allah knows what your hearts contain.” (Qur’an, 3:119). This indicates that actions are judged by the intention behind them, which is a significant Islamic value. She further asserted that values play a vital role in our lives. A person cannot be a true believer unless he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. Part of a person's good observance of Islam is to leave aside what does not concern him as well as the value of security which says that one should not harm himself or others.   At the end of the workshop, Dr. Alqadi asked the question if there is a reason to worry about our values as a result of the ongoing globalization. In a world where globalization and information technology are much more than concepts, we should adhere more to the values of the Qur’an in order to preserve our Islamic identity and intellectual security it was explained.  Date: 4/10/2019 Source: Amal Metwally, Coordinator of Intellectual Awareness Unit, Faculty of Languages and Translation  

  Students at the Faculty of Languages and Translation attended a workshop organized by the Intellectual Awareness Unit on Tuesday, 12/7/1440 at Faculty of Islamic Legislation. The workshop which was held by Dr. Lamya Alqadi focused on Qur’anic values and their impact on intellectual security.   Dr. Alqadi started her speech with the prophetic tradition narrated by ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan that the Prophet said (ﷺ): “The best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it" [al-Bukhari and Muslim]. The Qur’an advocates many values that shape one’s intellectual and spiritual journey to Allah the Almighty, Dr. Alqadi illustrated. "We can’t limit Islamic values into a few core values. However, the most important values and practices were identified by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) himself. We need to adhere to the Qura'nic values and to follow the instructions in the Holy Qur'an as well as prophetic traditions in every step in our life", she affirmed.   The values of truthfulness, purity, faithfulness, honesty, good intention and many other values are illustrated in the Qur’an. Allah the Almighty says “Allah knows what your hearts contain.” (Qur’an, 3:119). This indicates that actions are judged by the intention behind them, which is a significant Islamic value. She further asserted that values play a vital role in our lives. A person cannot be a true believer unless he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. Part of a person's good observance of Islam is to leave aside what does not concern him as well as the value of security which says that one should not harm himself or others.   At the end of the workshop, Dr. Alqadi asked the question if there is a reason to worry about our values as a result of the ongoing globalization. In a world where globalization and information technology are much more than concepts, we should adhere more to the values of the Qur’an in order to preserve our Islamic identity and intellectual security it was explained.  Date: 4/10/2019 Source: Amal Metwally, Coordinator of Intellectual Awareness Unit, Faculty of Languages and Translation