Problems of English Translation of the ‘Verb of Visual Perception رأى (ra’a)᾽ in the Noble Quran: A Semantic Study

This study investigates the English translation of the Arabic verb of visual perception رأى (ra’a) in the Noble Quran, adopting a semantic framework. The issue is that this verb is a multifaceted verb and requires a deep understanding and awareness of the context of the revelation of the surahs in which it occurs. Five translated ayahs containing the verb رأى with its variant forms have been chosen for the analysis. In doing so, the study adopts Nida's (1964) functional equivalence strategy. It is hypothesized that despite the fact that the meaning of this verb is grammatically governed and it is mostly metaphorically used, its translation is context-bound. This was clearly shown in the different translations given by the four translators, who have been adopted in this study, Kan, Pickthal, Sarwar, and Saheeh. The analyses also revealed that it is not an easy task to determine the meaning of this verb, particularly when a similar form of the verb occurs in more than one verse. Hence, the study recommends translators carefully deal with such a type of verb, particularly in the Quranic verses.