This study examines Saudi laws and regulations, shaped by the dual influence of Sharia and statutory traditions. These legal texts produce an Arabic legal discourse characterised by specific linguistic features including Islamic terms and phrases, system-bound terminology, formulaic expressions, frequent nominalisation, participles, modality markers, and cohesive devices. Focusing on the translation of Islamic terms and phrases, this study investigates how these culturally embedded concepts are rendered in official English translations produced by the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers.
The study employs two purpose-built corpora: a Monolingual Corpus of Saudi Laws and Regulations (MCSLR) and a Parallel Corpus of Saudi Laws and Regulations (PCSLR). Analysis adopted an integrated framework based on Newmark’s (1988) translation procedures and Baker’s (1992) strategies for non-equivalence at word level. Quantitative results show that while raw frequency data suggested ‘functional equivalent’ dominated, proportional frequency scores, calculated to reduce the distorting effect of high-frequency terms, revealed 'couplets' as most widely used across diverse terms. ‘Literal translation’ remained prominent, particularly for punishment laws, while ‘functional equivalent’ was heavily applied to recurrent family law terms such as طلاق (ṭalāq, divorce) and ولي (walī, guardian). The proportional frequency scores provide a more accurate account, showing translators often combined procedures to render semantically complex and culturally embedded concepts such as حد شرعي (ḥadd sharʿi, a Sharia-prescribed punishment) and فرض (farḍ, fixed share of an heir).
The findings highlight inconsistencies in translating recurring terms, over-reliance on ‘functional equivalent’ in family law, and limited use of explanatory glosses for ritual and culture-specific expressions. Overall, these findings demonstrate that no single procedure sufficiently captures the complexity of Islamic terms in Saudi legal discourse. Instead, translators must adopt context-sensitive procedures combining ‘transference’, ‘paraphrasing’, and ‘functional equivalent’ to minimise distortion and cultural loss. This study contributes to legal translation studies and offers empirically grounded recommendations that revise and expand upon Saudi guidelines on official translation.
