A Critical Discourse Analysis of Selected Sermons from Nahj al-Balagha: A Translation Quality Assessment of Seyyed Ali Reza’s English Translation

Discourse analysis, a linguistic approach within the social sciences, investigates the relationship between writers' works and their social environments, as well as the impact of these environments on their methods and styles. This research reviews the translation of Imam Ali’s discourse, specifically examining the sermons addressed to the Kufis, through the lens of Fairclough’s (1980) critical discourse analysis model. The study assesses the effectiveness of a selected English translation in conveying the original discourse. The importance of accurately translating the discourse in these sermons cannot be overstated; when translating significant texts, particularly holy texts, a translator’s inability to convey the discourse effectively can result in a loss of the original message, meaning, and spirit. The translation analyzed in this research is Seyyed Ali Reza’s (1980) version of Nahj al-Balagha, recognized as the most accessible and comprehensive translation. By applying Fairclough’s (1980) discourse analysis, the study found that Imam Ali’s discourse features the highest frequency in the description stage at 65%, while the explanation stage has the lowest frequency at 9%. Using Berman’s (2010) translation model, the researchers found that clarification was the most frequently employed strategy in the analyzed translations, occurring 33% of the time. In contrast, the rationalization and qualitative impoverishment strategies were the least used, each at 8%.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Selected Sermons from Nahj al-Balagha: A Translation Quality Assessment of Seyyed Ali Reza’s English Translation Keywords:

Berman , critical discourse analysis , Fairclough , English translation , Nahj AL-Balagha , Seyyed Ali Reza’s Translation