Study of Pragmatic Losses in the English Translation of Surah Al Ikhlas: A Comparative Pragma-Linguistic Analysis

The comprehension of the message of the Holy Qur’ān is obligatory for the whole of humanity which is revealed in the Arabic language. Scholars all over the world, Muslims as well as non-Muslims have devoted their best efforts to translate the word of Allah Almighty in different languages of the world, although absolute translation is not possible. These translations from Arabic to other languages of the world result into pragmatic losses. Small wonder, these pragmatic losses cause problems in the process of understanding the actual message of the Holy Qur’ān enshrined in the source text. This study was conducted to analyze the pragmatic losses in the English translations of Sūrah Ikhlāṣ (chapter 112) through a comparative pragma-linguistic analysis. Three different translations have been selected for the study. A comparative and critical study of these translations has established the presence of certain pragmatic losses which are likely to bear upon the comprehension of the reader in more than one way. To the researchers, the presence of these losses calls for the greater sensitivity towards and understanding of the pragmatic aspects of interlingual translation, specifically for a text which in its primordial form was intended to be a Speech (Kalām). To retain the pragmatic value and meaning of the source text become all the more paramount when the text translated is sacred one with its own canonical conventions and discursive norms.

Building a Theoretical Model of Socially Sustainable Entrepreneurship Through Comparative Case Analysis of Ethnic Entrepreneurial Communities

Review of existing literature suggests that entrepreneurs in modern context often strive for economic sustainability at the expense of social sustainability in societies they operate. The review also suggests that there are alternative contexts, like the context of ethnic communities, where achieving social sustainability is also a primary goal of entrepreneurs. How social sustainability is balanced with economic sustainability within the context of ethnic entrepreneurial communities has not been sufficiently theorized in existing literature. So the aim of this study is to develop a theoretical model grounded in data to explain how this balance can be achieved through socially sustainable entrepreneurship as practiced in ethnic entrepreneurial communities. To achieve this aim, the study needed data from ethnic entrepreneurial communities which have balanced their economic sustainability with social sustainability for several generations. Three ethnic entrepreneurial communities were selected for data collection namely Memon, Delhi Saudagaran and Chinioti which appeared to have such characteristics. Eisenhardt’s research strategy (ERS) for theory building through comparative case analysis was employed to build cases from the data taken from the three communities and to perform a cross-case comparison to build a theoretical model. The data was taken in the form of in-depth interviews with respondents from each community, notes from direct observation and documentary sources published by each community. Data from each community was interpreted using the social constructivist paradigm. The interpretation of data was utilized to develop three case studies, one for each community. The three cases were then analyzed through a process of constant comparison which involved comparing data within and in between cases. The comparison helped in developing categories of codified data. Each category was further refined into a construct. The constructs and their relationships which were common in the three cases were used to build the theoretical model of socially sustainable entrepreneurship. The model was finally evaluated for external validity by reassessing the proposed constructs and their relationships in the light of existing literature. The case study developed for each community describes how historically evolved community and family cultures influence and are influenced by the process of starting, maintaining and sustaining a business using community and family resources. The cases also describe the emerging reasons for social disintegration as experienced by the three communities. The common patterns emerging from the comparison of the cases were used to build a theoretical Model of Socially Sustainable Entrepreneurship (MSSE) which highlights the possible sociocultural contexts, influencers, strategies and socio-economic consequences of socially sustainable entrepreneurship. The model proposes how economic, social and spiritual interdependence between members of the family and community can contribute towards a balance between social and economic sustainability of Muslim-ethnic entrepreneurial communities. The model can aid policymakers and community leaders to pursue economic sustainability without compromising the social sustainability of their entrepreneurial communities. The results can also contribute towards enhancing the socio-economic sustainability of communities similar to the ones studied for this dissertation. Business schools can also use the results to better explain the socially sustainable form of entrepreneurship to their students as an alternative to entrepreneurial activity in the modern free-market. Students and new entrepreneurs can use the results to strengthen the interdependence between their venture, family and community by striving for the social and economic well-being of all stakeholders as explained in the model. Future research will test the model for statistical generalizability within the three communities. The model once tested may also benefit communities other than the ones studied in this research.