The Translator as Communicator

Sample 7.3
On that day the Tempest shall be sounded and all who dwell in heaven and earth
took fright. (Ar. faza’a)
In the Arabic rhetorical tradition, the motivation behind such a tense switch is
usually explained in terms of:
1 emphasizing the magnitude of the event referred to; and/or
2 showing certainty that the event will, in fact, happen.
It is perhaps worth pointing out that such values are comparable to the scale of
power and distance discussed earlier in this chapter.
In one of the published translations, the above verse is rendered as in
Sample 7.4
.
Sample 7.4
On that day the Tempest shall be sounded and all who dwell in heaven and earth
shall be seized with fear.
While not preserving the tense switch formally, this translation of the Qur’anic
verse has certainly gone a long way towards preserving the rhetorical function
involved. Operating within the constraints of English, which would not readily
tolerate a shift in tense as drastic as this, the translator opted for the unmarked
future tense. Interestingly, however, the translator selected shall (rather than the
alternative ‘will’). This lends the verse a certain resonance and authority which
supports the notion of ‘magnitude’. Furthermore, the use of ‘shall’ creates the
impression of inevitability and thus promotes ‘certainty’ that the event will, no
doubt, happen.
4
In a similar fashion—and to show that rhetorical features such as those
discussed above are not limited to Arabic or to Qur’anic discourse—let us
TRANSLATING SACRED AND SENSITIVE TEXT 103

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consider an example from the Book of Jonah in the Old Testament.
5
The Prophet
Jonah, having been held responsible for the storm in which his ship is engulfed,
is thrown overboard and swallowed by a whale. From the belly of the whale, he
prays to God as in 
Sample 7.5
.