Arabic Bible Translations: Comparison Methods

My Prompt:

Hello, I am trying to compare and contrast particular verses from different bible translations in Arabic. I do not want you to do any work of comparing. I need to get translations of the arabic text into English that are as word for word (formally equivalent) as possible. I have in mind a translation style almost modeled after the NASB where often the english will come out sounding choppy and maybe even slightly difficult to read but the words will be as close to the source text (in this case the arabic) as possible. I will be providing the you with the text of each arabic verse myself. It is of utmost important that you translate each word as consistently as possible across the different translations. Are you able to do this? It requires the utmost discipline across a large number of prompts.

ChatGPT Response:

Yes—I can do that. I understand exactly what you’re asking for:

Literal/formal equivalence: Translating as close as possible to the original Arabic words, even if the English ends up choppy or slightly awkward.

Consistency: Using the same English word for the same Arabic word across all verses and prompts, maintaining strict uniformity.

Style guidance: Something akin to NASB, where faithfulness to the source is prioritized over readability or smooth English flow.

Discipline over multiple prompts: I will maintain this methodology consistently, regardless of the number of verses or different translations you provide.

Before we start, one clarifying point: do you want me to preserve Arabic grammatical markers like definite articles, pronouns, and prepositions in a very “visible” way in English (e.g., translating “al-“ as “the” every time), or should it feel slightly more natural while still being literal? This affects how closely we can stick to word-for-word translation.

My Clarification on Grammatical Markings:

Yes I would like you to keep the prepositions very visible in english if possible. 

ChatGPT Response:

Perfect. That gives me clear guidance: every preposition, article, pronoun, and conjunction should be translated explicitly, even if it makes the English read awkwardly. I will treat each Arabic word systematically and consistently across all verses you provide.

You can start sending the Arabic verses whenever you’re ready, and I’ll translate them in this strict, literal style.

My Prompt:

The final thing you need to know, it will not be super frequent, but occasionally some of the translations may be what are often considered "muslim idiom translations" of scripture. If there are phrases that are clearly muslim idioms I would like these phrases to be translated exactly how that idiom would be translated for english speaking muslims. In particular, phrases like "la ilaha illa Allahu" and "Bismillah" should be translated exactly as a muslim would translate these phrases. 

ChatGPT Response:

Understood. I will adopt a dual approach for idiomatic/muslim-specific phrases:

If a phrase is a recognized Muslim idiom (e.g., “لا إله إلا الله” / la ilaha illa Allah or “بسم الله” / Bismillah), I will translate it exactly as it is customarily rendered for English-speaking Muslims, rather than attempting a literal word-for-word translation that ignores the idiom.

For all other text, I will maintain the strict formal/literal, word-for-word approach with prepositions, articles, and conjunctions fully visible, as discussed.

This ensures that your comparisons remain consistent while respecting the idiomatic context where necessary.

You can start sending the Arabic verses now.

My Request to be Notified:

Final thing, please make sure to clearly notify me whenever a "muslim idiom" like I have mentioned above appears in a text. If it is not one of the two I have mentioned make sure to notify me before the translation even happens because I will not have been expecting this. Does that make sense?

ChatGPT Response:

Yes—that makes perfect sense. Here’s the protocol I will follow:

• Muslim idioms already known (the two you mentioned):

“لا إله إلا الله” → translate as customary for English-speaking Muslims.

“بسم الله” → translate as customary for English-speaking Muslims.

I will clearly flag these in the translation, e.g., “[Muslim idiom – standard English rendering].”

• Any other potential Muslim idiom:

I will pause and notify you before translating.

I will ask for confirmation so you can decide how you want it handled.

• Everything else:

Full literal, word-for-word translation with visible prepositions, articles, pronouns, and conjunctions.

Consistent word choices across all verses you provide.

With this, you’ll always know when an idiom appears and how it’s being handled.

You can start sending the first verse whenever you’re ready.

My Prompt:

Also, when you provide the translation please provide it in the form of repeating the arabic back to me, providing a consistent english transliteration of the arabic, and finally provided the translation as I have set guidelines for above.

ChatGPT Response:

Perfect—that gives a clear 3-part structure for every verse. The format I will use will be:

• Arabic text – the original verse exactly as you provide it.

• Consistent transliteration – a phonetic rendering of the Arabic, using the same transliteration style across all verses.

• Literal/formal English translation – following your guidelines:

Word-for-word as close as possible to the Arabic.

Prepositions, articles, pronouns, and conjunctions fully visible.

Consistency of word choice across verses.

Muslim idioms rendered as standard English translations for English-speaking Muslims and clearly flagged.

My Prompt (verse copied from YouVersion Bible.com):

'«فَإِنَّ كُلَّ مَنْ يَدْعُو بِاسْمِ الرَّبِّ يَخْلُصُ». '

روما 10:13

https://www.bible.com/ar/bible/101/ROM.10.13.KEH

ChatGPT Response:

«فَإِنَّ كُلَّ مَنْ يَدْعُو بِاسْمِ الرَّبِّ يَخْلُصُ».

روما 10:13

Fa‑inna kulla man yadʿū bi‑ism ar‑Rabb yakhluṣu.

“For indeed everyone who calls by the name of the Lord will be saved.”