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Abstract
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This Thesis uses Lawrence Venuti's translation theories to investigate English translations of “Dua Kumayl”, a foundational Shia supplication attributed to Imam Ali (RA). Emphasizing Venuti's ideas of domestication and foreignization, the study looks at how translators negotiate the theological, linguistic, and cultural complexity of turning this holy text into English. Examining several translations—that of Sh. Muhammad Khalfan, Al-Islam.org, and others—allows the study to assess whether translators give fluency (domestication) top priority or preserve the Arabic-Islamic ethos (foreignization). Particular emphasis has been laid on ideologically-based terminology (such as tawhid, istighfar) and culturally ingrained metaphors to claim that because of the importance of such a religious text as “Dua Kumayl” in Islam the preservation of the source idioms and expressions in the target text is a priority. The study also challenges Venuti's "ethics of difference" in the framework of translating Shia devotional literature, contending that theological fidelity sometimes requires foreignizing approaches. The results hope to support cross-cultural dialogue, Islamic theology, and translation studies.
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