Why original language matters
Translation makes scripture accessible, but it always involves choices. Words carry grammar, sound, cultural associations and multiple possible meanings that may not map neatly into English.
Qur’an: Arabic
The Qur’an is read in Arabic, and Muslims distinguish the Arabic revelation from translations of its meaning. English translations such as Pickthall can be useful, but they are still translations.
Bhagavad Gita: Sanskrit
The Bhagavad Gita is a Sanskrit text. Terms such as dharma, yoga, karma and ātman carry philosophical meanings that often require more than a one-word English equivalent.
Dhammapada: Pāli
The Dhammapada is preserved in Pāli within the Theravāda canon. Translation choices can shape how readers understand terms related to mind, suffering, conduct and liberation.
Tanakh: Biblical Hebrew
The Tanakh is primarily associated with Hebrew, with some Aramaic in the broader Hebrew Bible. Hebrew word roots, poetry and parallelism can produce nuances that differ across English translations.
Guru Granth Sahib: multiple languages, Gurmukhi script
The Guru Granth Sahib is written in Gurmukhi script and includes compositions drawing on several linguistic traditions. Script and language are therefore related but not identical concepts.
Tao Te Ching: Classical Chinese
The Tao Te Ching is written in Classical Chinese, whose compressed style can support multiple interpretations. That is one reason English translations can differ sharply while still engaging the same source text.
How Scroll My Faith uses language switching
The reader keeps the citation visible while allowing language changes where the corpus supports them. The goal is not to imply that a translated line is interchangeable with the original, but to make the relationship more visible.