Tasnif Style Guide

Tasnif Style Guide — Page xix

QUICK TIPS xix READABILITY signifies the fluency in English-good grammar, in particular as well as the daunting goal of recreating the rhe- torical force, literary eloquence, and spiritual effect possessed by the original text. At times, readability calls for paraphrasing or departing slightly from the original text, such as when an idiom does not translate well into English, and a suitable equivalent is required. Alternatively, translators may preserve the original idiom literally and expound upon its meaning in a footnote or endnote disclosure, keeping in mind that these books will be scru- tinized by academia in the future and historical and textual accu- racy will inevitably arise as topics of interest that will reflect trans- lator(s) diligence. Do not sacrifice any one of these principles for the sake of others, but rather, seek to strike a balance. If in doubt, always seek advice. The Promised Messiah's books-Read the recent transla- tions of the Promised Messiah's books and those of his Khulafa' to understand their 'voice'. Language should be balanced and not distract from the message; it should neither be abstruse and archaic, nor overly informal and colloquial. The same author may take different tones in different works, so do not change the tone of the original text (i. e. do not soften language where it appears harsh and vice versa). For those Arabic books that the Promised Messiah as translated himself into Urdu or Persian, use his Urdu/ Persian translation to prepare the English, while comparing with the Arabic for completeness. If any part of the Arabic is not trans- lated, consult Tașnif. Translations from the Arabic performed by someone other than the Promised Messiah as may be used as a baseline, but the final English translation must agree with the original Arabic.