Traduttore traditore: An analysis of the history of English translations of the Qur'an

A brief overview of the general problems of translation and of the specific problem of translating the Qur'an is followed by a history of published English translations of the entire Qur'an. A selection of translations from the seventeenth‐ to the beginning of the twentieth‐century by non‐Muslims, and of prominent and widespread twentieth‐century translations by Muslims, Ahmadiyyans, and non‐Muslims, is considered. In each case, the roles created for translators by the encounter between the English‐speaking West and Islam are investigated. Translation is seen to be an act both of betrayal and bequeathal, with historically‐situated communities of discourse construing particular translations one way or the other. In conclusion, some suggestions are offered for decreasing the potential destructiveness of offensive and defensive translational strategies.