7. A comparative study on Tamil Translations of Holy Quran: With reference to Surah al Fatihah

Abstract

Translating the meanings of the Qur'an is a crucial issue as its words include countless precise explanations. The scholars of Sciences of Quran have defined the rules and regulations for the translation of meanings of the Qur'an into other languages.

A number of scholars have translated its meanings into Tamil as more than ten complete translations of the meanings of the Qur'an has been published. However, there are differences between them in their performance of the intended meaning, as each adheres to a special pattern that the others do not adhere to. Thus, the study aims to identify the approaches of the translations of the Holy Qur’an into the Tamil language focusing on Surah al-Fatihah using the analytical and comparative methods.

The findings of this article reveal that there are many differences in each translation in the performance of intended meaning, and that there is an urgent need to revise the translation approach into Tamil language. Perhaps, this research will help the researchers and readers to become familiar with the style of translations.