<![CDATA[This study examines the translation of the Qur’an into Sasak through Al-Qur’an dan Terjemahnya Bahasa Sasak (2014), with particular attention to the selection of linguistic registers and their theological as well as communicative implications. Drawing on Talal Asad’s concept of sacred discourse and Janet Holmes’ sociolinguistic theory of register, the study investigates how translators negotiate the tension between preserving the sacred authority of the Qur’anic text and ensuring its accessibility for local readers. Employing a qualitative approach, five purposively selected verses—QS. al-Naml: 27, QS. al-Isrāʾ: 63, QS. al-Isrāʾ: 66, QS. al-Nisāʾ: 1, and QS. al-Ikhlāṣ: 1—were analyzed through semantic, pragmatic, and register-based examination. The findings reveal three distinct patterns of negotiation. First, sacred authority is partially compromised when linguistic constraints intersect with sociolinguistic realities, as reflected in the rendering of qul as gelis muni. Second, sacredness and accessibility are balanced when culturally appropriate honorific registers remain available, as illustrated by the use of bemaniq. Third, sacred authority is preserved without compromise when the doctrinal core of the text is involved, exemplified by the translation of Aḥad as Maha Esa. Based on these findings, the study proposes the Qur’anic Translation Negotiation Model, consisting of four interrelated components—Sacred Authority, Linguistic Constraint, Sociolinguistic Reality, and Communicative Goal—which operate dialectically in the translation process. The model offers a theoretically grounded framework for understanding vernacular Qur’anic translations and contributes to broader discussions on the relationship between language, religion, and translation beyond normative debates on the translatability of sacred texts.]]>
