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.

Devolpement of Genetically Engineered Mustard Brassica Juncea for Low Viscosity Biodiesel Production

Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is a member of the Brassicaceae family that is now becoming a global crop because of its drought tolerance, high oil content, short growing season and the ability to grow on low quality soils. The present study was aimed to reduce the viscosity of Brassica juncea oil by altering the fatty acid profile, via developing efficient and simple Agrobacterium mediated based tissue culture and floral dip methods of plant transfermation. For optimization of regeneration protocol, cotyledon explants of the Brassica juncea CV- Raya Anmol were cultured on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations of 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP), (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 μM) alone and in combination with 1μM of Gibberellic acid (GA3) and Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) separately. Maximum calli production (87%) was observed on MS medium containing 4 μM BAP only. The highest shoot induction efficiency (92%) was observed on medium supplemented with BAP (4 μM) and NAA (1 μM). For rooting, Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (6μM) and Kinetin (Kin) (1μM) was found as the best combination. A binary vector containing the EaDAcT (E.alatus diacylglycerol acetyltransferase) gene under the transcriptional control of a glycinin promoter and with a basta selection marker, was introduced into A. tumefaciens strain GV3101 via electroporation. An efficient tissue culture and In planta transformation was developed for B. juncea. In tissue culture transformation, cotyledon explants were used while for floral dip, plants at early stage of flowering with and without vacuum desiccator were used. The basta resistant putative transgenic plants were selected and further confirmed by PCR. The vacuum infiltration was found more efficient (0.85%) as compared to the normal floral dip method (0.15%).The developed transgenic B. juncea seeds showed altered TAG fatty acid composition with enhanced level of oleic acid (from 41% to 63%) and reduced eurcic acid level (from 13.7% to 2.53%), which is an ideal composition of fatty acids in oil to be used as biodisel. The developed protocols could be used to accumulate unusual acTAG in B. juncea seed, providing a direct way of biodiesel production from plant oil. Such results will be useful for the development of B. juncea as an alternative source of energy.