Abstract

This study explores translating the flouting of the maxim of relation in the Qur’an as one of Grice’s four maxims. The study shows that flouting this maxim is deliberate and derives from the conversational implicature, where the addressee receives information different from his expectations. In order to translationally conduct flouting the maxim of relation in the Qur’an, nine Qur’anic verses resembling this rhetorical feature are selected. Two translations, English and Spanish, are examined to see if the flouting is reflected in the receptive languages. The two translations are evaluated on the ground of how the maxim is made clear in the target languages. The evaluation of the reproduction is based on the weight of the maxim in these two languages, English and Spanish. Due to the type of the text, some exegeses of the Qur’an are consulted in order to make a more objective evaluation. The study has concluded that the flouting of the maxim of relation is in most cases difficult to detect, and this makes reflecting the flouting of relation a real translation challenge.