درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

In reciting the verses of the Holy Qur’ān, making pauses at appropriate places is one of the important issues of Tajwid, neglecting which can potentially distort the meanings of the verses and reverse their intended purpose. The present study seeks to analyze how translators have dealt with the concept of inappropriate pause by investigating four English translations of the Holy Qur’ān through answering the following questions: Has the concept of inappropriate or impermissible pause been observed in the English translations of the Holy Qur’ān? Is it possible to express the concept of inappropriate pause using English punctuation? If yes, is it possible to achieve a standard to convey the concept of inappropriate pause? If not, how can this gap be filled? Through a comparative analysis of all 68 cases of inappropriate pause in the Holy Qur’ān and their corresponding translations into English, it seems that English lacks equivalent punctuation to convey the concept of inappropriate pause. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that colon is the most appropriate punctuation in English to convey the concept of inappropriate pause. However, the findings of this research show that the translators used commas in 43.7% of the verses with impermissible pauses. The authors presented a “standards table” by examining the function of English punctuation marks, and by observing the approach taken by the translators when facing an inappropriate pause, a “descriptive table” was also presented to illustrate these observations. Then, considering the relationship between these two tables, the closest English punctuation mark for conveying the concept of inappropriate pause was introduced.

Interfaith dialogue in the contemporary world is one of the mostly advocated issues by moderate religious people. Ecumenical activities are being carried out worldwide either between people of the same faith; like Muslim to Muslim or Christian to Christian dialogue; or among people of different faith; like Muslim to Christian to Jewish dialogue. To achieve this goal, various mediums are being employed by different people at suitable time and place. Mediums such as conferences, workshops, debates and exchange of messages and letters are good examples employed for interfaith dialogue. Currently, the cyberspace is another medium employed and viewed by some people as the best for interfaith dialogue. The cyberspace on its own is used in different ways in this regard. It is an all-encompassing medium which can be used for conferences, workshops, debates and exchange of letters. This brief survey looks at the role of cyberspace in interfaith dialogue.