Negotiating meaning in Tolaki Qur'an translation: readability, theological shifts and cultural mediation

Purpose This study investigates how meaning is negotiated in the Tolaki translation of selected Qur'anic verses on interreligious relations. Design/methodology/approach Positioned within an interpretivist–constructivist paradigm, the research adopted a qualitative digital ethnographic design integrating interviews, task-based back translation, and observations. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA), informed by Nida's theory of equivalence, Baker's translation strategies, and Gadamer's hermeneutics to trace linguistic, semantic, and cultural negotiations of meaning. Findings Four interrelated themes emerged. First, readability challenges surfaced as participants struggled with archaic Tolaki vocabulary (e.g. taslim translated as “submission” lacked clarity). Second, theological shifts appeared when key concepts such as iman were generalized into “belief,” reducing doctrinal nuance. Third, cultural mediation was evident as local idioms and customary values reframed Qur'anic messages on pluralism. Fourth, reinterpretive strategies were employed through simplification, contextual glossing, and intertextual back-referencing to enhance comprehension. Originality/value The study offers a novel theoretical contribution by integrating readability, equivalence, and hermeneutic horizons in Qur'anic translation research; provides empirical insight through first-hand accounts of Tolaki readers; and proposes practical recommendations for producing vernacular Qur'an translations that maintain accessibility without compromising theological precision supporting interreligious understanding and social harmony in diverse Muslim communities.