College of Arts

The Department of Translation in the College of Arts held a master’s thesis defense on Sunday, August 10, 2025, for a study titled “The Translation of Qur’anic Legal Terminology into English.” The event was attended by the Dean of the College, Professor Dr. Hatem Fahd Al-Taie, the Head of the Department, Dr. Hala Khalid Najm, and several faculty members.

The study, presented by student Ali Elias Jassim Al-Jahishi, addressed the challenges of translating Qur’anic legal terms into English. The research cited several key factors, including the precise and miraculous nature of the Holy Qur’an, which makes it inherently difficult to translate, and the significant cultural gap between the source and target languages. This gap is further complicated by the absence of direct linguistic equivalents for many terms and the differences in religious customs and traditions.

The primary objective of the study was to analyze existing translations of Qur’anic legal terminology and assess their accuracy. The research aimed to facilitate a better understanding of these terms for English-speaking Muslims and to identify which translators were most successful in conveying the intended meaning, and which were not. The study utilized Nida’s model of translation as its analytical framework.

The thesis defense committee was comprised of:

• Assistant Professor Dr. Maher Sami Hassan (College of Arts, University of Mosul) – Committee Chair
• Assistant Professor Dr. Omar Daoud Omar (College of Basic Education, University of Mosul) – Committee Member
• Assistant Professor Anwar Abdul Wahhab Jassim (College of Arts, University of Mosul) – Committee Member
• Professor Dr. Yasser Younis Abdul Wahid (College of Arts, University of Mosul) – Committee Member and Supervisor