Maintaining Source Language in Translating Holy Book: A Case of Translating Al-Qur‟an into Indonesian

Abstract

Translation involves two or more languages in practice. This undoubtedly activates the conflict between the source and target language. When translator tries to help readers understand fully the concept of the source text, he will sacrifice the source language to maintain the target. In this terms translator will have diffciculties to balance between those two languages. Maintaining both is much more problematic in tranlsation practice. Shifting between theories of translations does not automatically help translator to mantain the contents of the text tranfered into target language. Distorting as well as inserting translator‘s idea then is impossible to avoid. Mastering culture, history, sociology an many other disciplines in both source and target language will then help very much the action of translating. The next problem then occurs if it is related to law and religious teaching. Since holy text is sacredly honoured by the believers, translator is potentially sentenced to be sinful and to lose his profession. The alternative solutions are leaving the original text (Arabic) put side by side with the translation, undertaking borrowing and calque, and annotating on the target text.