Rethinking the theoretical foundations of Quran translation: A case against instrumentalism.

The debate on Quran translation has recently shifted to a particular focus on questioning its problematic state of the art. Beyond the oft-repeated discourses that routinely circulate around the (un-)translatability debate, crucial issues have come to the fore of current discussions on Quran translation, including Eurocentrism, theoretical inconsistencies, and the lack of clarity and balance with regard to concepts and definitions, among others. Following Lawrence Venuti's standpoint in favour of hermeneutics as a way out of the impasse of the dominant yet instrumental thinking in translation studies, this article further contributes to the current debate on Quran translation, drawing more attention to the ambivalence and contradictions inherent in its scholarship. By means of conceptual analysis, the article aims to spell out the ramifications and negative implications of the instrumental orientation for Quran translation through the prism of the linguistic paradigm of translation; a paradigm that not only prevails over the translation theory and practice of the Quran but also translation studies as a whole due to the ongoing linguistic returns in the field. Also, the study argues that the special genre of the Quran lacks a consistent translation model entrenched in hermeneutic thinking, one that treats the activity of Quran translation as a form of interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]