An Error Analysis of Translation of Qur'ānic Verses: A Case Study of Surah Al-Kahf

This study evaluated the quality of two English translations of Surah Al-Kahf, produced by two prominent translators: Pickthall (1930), a native English speaker, and Qarai (2018), a non-native translator. The assessment was based on Khazaeefar’s (2012) error analysis model. To determine the accurate meanings of key terms, two Qur’ānic commentaries and two dictionaries were consulted. This facilitated a comparative analysis between the Arabic source text and its English renderings, allowing the identification of translation errors. Furthermore, macro-level translation issues—such as sentence structure, coherence, cohesion, and stylistic choices—were also examined. The findings revealed that the non-native translator made fewer errors and produced a higher-quality translation than Pickthall. The study concludes that a translator’s proficiency in Arabic and understanding of its contextual and structural nuances play a crucial role in the accurate translation of the Qur’ān. In this regard, the non-native translator effectively met these demands.