التحريف المعنوي في ترجمات معاني القرآن الكريم المقدمۃ بالذكاء الاصطناعي للجزء الخامس عشر

Semantic Distortion in AI-Assisted Translations of the Meanings of the Qur’an — 15th Para

Abstract

The article entitled: meaning distortion in translations of the meanings of Holy Qur’an by artificial intelligence for 15th volume. It aims to reveal how the tools of artificial intelligence handle translating verses with complex doctrinal and narrative dimensions, to identify manifestations of distortion resulting from these translations of the meanings of Holy Qur’an.

The study employed a comparative analytical approach, analyzing ChatGPT's translation of selected verses from both surah and comparing them with approved human translations based on the exegeses of Al-Tabari, Ibn Ibn Kaseer, and Al-Qurtubi, according to criteria of linguistic accuracy, conveying rhetoric, handling metaphors, and historical context. Results showed human translations excel in understanding Quranic context, Sharia objectives, conveying rhetorical styles, and preserving spiritual dimensions, while translations excel in speed, terminological consistency, and grammatical accuracy.

The study revealed serious semantic distortion manifestations in translations, including semantic flattening, literal translation of figurative expressions like "We struck upon their ears," (translation of the Qur’anic words) are unable to convey rhetorical gradation in the story of Moses and Al-Khidr, and disregard for doctrinal background of terms like "Al-Aqsa Mosque." The study concluded that translations of the meanings of Holy Qur’an by various tools of artificial intelligence cannot replace translations approved by human in the Quranic text, due to their lack of spiritual insight and purposive understanding, and religious edicts like the Egyptian Dar al-Ifta fatwa prohibit reliance on them. It recommended adopting an integrative approach using AI as an assisting tool with outputs subjected to specialized human review, training systems on authoritative exegesis, and enhancing cooperation between engineers and Sharia scholars.