Thinking Cross Functionally

Applying ‘Systems Dynamics’ to the Glorious Quran’s Translation

Abstract

Undoubtedly Quran is Untranslatable, but the fact remains that its still being translated into World‟s major Languages for the proliferation of sacred message to all those who cannot understand or even read Arabic language, especially the Muslim children born and raised in non Muslim secular world. Moreover, as the world knowledges grew immensely, the need for understanding the universal divine message has also increased. Hence the scholars of Islam allowed the translation of Quran with number of strict qualifications and limitations for the Translators. The present paper has tried to work out the General Systems Theory, a combination of Poly Systems and Systems Thinking Theory/Approach, broadly a „system-theoretic‟ concept, where both description and prescription parallels in Translation, considering Quran‟s English translation as an independent Text with\ divine message. The paper highlights the fact that one can perfectly corroborate and understand Quran‟s translation through this combined approach, without taking on board any single Systems Approach or any other theory for its intelligibility. The main aim of the researcher is to proliferate the message of Quran to its greatest extent through translation as authentic text without the feeling of fear of ambiguity or distortions involved in the process of translation and making it approachable to Muslims and non Muslims equally well and those who don‟t know Arabic language. For this purpose Van and Lambert‟s model of Translation Description (1985) and General Systems Theory/ Concepts proposed by Leyla Acroglu(2017) have been applied for the practical and critical analysis of the target text to achieve the underlined objective. The application of Systems Dynamics also provides an insight and opportunity to use the English translation of Quran as Realia in EFL reading and writing classes effectively. Thus, the paper introduces a new paradigm which can be safely termed as „Systems Dynamics‟ for reading and understanding Quran‟s Translation as an independent Text