Translating the Untranslatable: A Study of Semantic Losses in Translating the Religious Thoughts in Iqbal’s Selected Verses

Abstract

This paper investigates the problems in translating the religious thought of Iqbal’s poetry. It explores how different translators of Iqbal have failed to understand and capture the meaning of the original. The study is significant as it examines both foreign and indigenous translations of Iqbal’s poetry. The researchers have analysed the selected verses from his poetry. After analysing the textual data, it is revealed that both indigenous and foreign translators have deviated from the meaning and sense of the original.  Moreover, their translations have failed to grasp Iqbal’s religious thoughts and as a result they reflect visible gaps when compared with the original. The study concludes with the understanding that Iqbal’s profound philosophy, his plentiful use of metaphorical expressions and the cultural and religious references make his poetry untranslatable in the absolute sense and ultimately resulting in semantic losses in translating his religious thoughts expressed in his poetry.