English translation: follow the choice of the original text//in this case transliteration: Quran
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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:
Koran/Quran/Qur'an
English translation:
follow the choice of the original text//in this case transliteration: Quran
Explanation: In English, the word can be transliterated in different ways -- the classic spelling Koran is gradually given way, in some contexts, to Quran and Qur'an. (A kind of political correctness requiring the English to more closely follow the original).
A similar choice arises in Spanish, as this quotation from Wikipedia explains:
"El Corán es el libro sagrado del islam...En una denominación más arcaica, se le conoce con el nombre de Alcorán, también escrito Quran o Korán ...el nombre completo es Al Qur'ān Al Karīm o El noble Corán)." (wikipedia).
So see which of the spellings is used in the orginal Spanish text, and choose the English one closest to this.
ES Corán is rendered as Koran in EN, Quran becomes Quran, Al Qur'ān would become Qur'an
that first... personally I would use Qur'an because the letters Q and ' correspond to Arabic letters that do not appear in the English alphabet. Arabic also has the letter K which sounds exactly like English K, but Q is a separate letter, the sound being formed on the soft palate instead of the hard palate as with a K. So Arabs do not pronounce Qur'an as if it began with K.
The other ways of writing Qur'an in English are simply anglicized forms of Qur'an, just like we write Andalusia instead of Andalucía. I would say that the context of an art exhibition is similar to a museum context which is basically a scholarly environment and therefore it is entirely appropriate to spell Qur'an as it is pronounced in the original language.
I used to translate Arabic to English full-time but started with French and later Spanish when the level of Arabic translation work dropped after the 1980's.
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Answers
15 mins confidence:
koran/quran/qur'an
Koran
Explanation: Just to kick it off, but I'm British and can't say for South America.
I recognise the other spellings but have to think about it.
BTW, I think it should always be with an initial capital.
Sheila Wilson Spain Local time: 03:11 Does not meet criteria Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
Jun 30, 2009 ... This photo from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), shows the Usman Mushafi Koran, which has ...
uzbekistan.usembassy.gov ›
THIS FROM AN ART EXHIBIT
From A.D. 644 to 656 the third caliph, Uthman, compiled the text of the Koran, the Word of God, revealed to the Prophet through the angel Gabriel. The era of monumental literature composed in Arabic had begun. http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/guide/nes-arabworld.html
Stephanie Ezrol United States Local time: 22:11 Meets criteria Works in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 16
Explanation: In English, the word can be transliterated in different ways -- the classic spelling Koran is gradually given way, in some contexts, to Quran and Qur'an. (A kind of political correctness requiring the English to more closely follow the original).
A similar choice arises in Spanish, as this quotation from Wikipedia explains:
"El Corán es el libro sagrado del islam...En una denominación más arcaica, se le conoce con el nombre de Alcorán, también escrito Quran o Korán ...el nombre completo es Al Qur'ān Al Karīm o El noble Corán)." (wikipedia).
So see which of the spellings is used in the orginal Spanish text, and choose the English one closest to this.
ES Corán is rendered as Koran in EN, Quran becomes Quran, Al Qur'ān would become Qur'an
Joshua Wolfe Local time: 22:11 Does not meet criteria Native speaker of: English
Grading comment
Thanks again.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks, Joshua, this makes a lot of sense. :-)
Reference comments
1 hr peer agreement (net): +3
Reference: Koran, Quran, Qur'an
Reference information: Other colleagues will tell/have told you what the officially preferred spelling in the US/UK is, but maybe some background information: the word is, of course, the Arabic word القرآن, which in "correct" transliteration should be rendered Al-Qur'an. Transliterations systems vary, and typing on the internet poses some limitations on the proper transliterations, but according to the most widely accepted systems, the letter ق is represented with a Q, as it's not a K but an emphatic K from deeper in the throat. Also, most transliteration systems agree that there is no letter "O" in Arabic, but that it should be rendered "U".
The apostrophe after the R represents a glottal stop that kind of splits the word in two.
That is why you'll find most Arabists spelling the word "Quran", regardless of the "officially" wider acceptance of the spelling "Koran".
Nesrin United Kingdom Does not meet criteria Works in field Native speaker of: Arabic PRO pts in category: 23
Note to reference poster
Asker: Thanks a million, Nesrin! :-)
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