Challenges in Translating Scientific Texts: Problems and Reasons
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1303.11Keywords:
scientific translation, terminology, problems, English, ArabicAbstract
The demand for scientific and technical translation has increased because of the rapid scientific and technological development in developed countries and the need to spread these sciences and technologies in developing countries. This study aims to investigate the main problems encountered by translators in translating scientific texts from English into Arabic and reveal the main reasons behind these problems. In this study, a qualitative research design is applied, and the sample of this study consists of one scientific text with (938 words) translated by twenty BA students. The study reveals that translators faced lexical and syntactic problems while translating scientific text, such as word diction, preciseness, terminological consistency, word order (markedness), agreement, tense and aspect, and passive structure. Moreover, the study shows that a lack of translators' experience in this domain, students' total dependence on a literal translation, and the lack of awareness of the sensitivity of scientific texts are some of the most important reasons for these problems.
References
Al-Abbas, L. S., & Haider, A. S. (2021). Using Modern Standard Arabic in Subtitling Egyptian Comedy Movies for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2021.1993597
Al-Abbas, L. S. & Haider, A. S. (2020). Evaluating the Accuracy and Consistency in Rendering Qur'anic Terms with Overlapping Meanings into English. Al-Bayan: Journal of Qur'an and Hadith Studies, 18 (2), 111-137. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/22321969-12340083
Al-Hassnawi. A. R. A. (2010, May 20). Aspects of Scientific Translation: English into Arabic Translation as a Case Study. Retrieved from http://www.translationdirectory.com/article10.htm
Al-Khalafat, L., & Haider, A. S. (2022). A Corpus-assisted Translation Study of Strategies Used in Rendering Culture-bound Expressions in the Speeches of King Abdullah II. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12 (1), 130-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1201.16
Argeg, G. (2015). The Problems of Translating Medical Terms from English into Arabic [Doctoral dissertation, Durham University]. Retrieved from http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11166/
Awang, R. & Salman, G. (2017). Translation and Arabicization Methods of English Scientific and Technical Terms into Arabic. Arab World English Journal for Translation & Literary Studies, 1(2), 92-106 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol1no2.8
Aziz, Y. (1989). A Contrastive Grammar of English and Arabic. Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, University of Mosul. Jordan Book Centre.
Baker, M. (1992) In Other Words: a Coursebook on Translation. London: Routledge.
Bell, R. T. (1991): Translation and Translating. Theory and Practice. London and New York: Longman.
Byrne, J. (2006). Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation. Dordrecht: Springer.
Cabré, M. and Sager, J., (1999). John Benjamins Publishing Company. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/tlrp.1
Catford, J. (1965). A Linguistic Theory of Translation: An Essay on Applied Linguistics, London: Oxford University Press.
Chambers, W. & R. (1992). The Chambers Dictionary. Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2008). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chesterman, A. (1997). Memes of Translation: The Spread of Ideas in Translation Theory. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Farghal, M. (2009). Basic Issues in Translation Training with Special Reference to Arab Universities. International Journal of Arabic-English Studies (IJAES), (10), 5- 24.
Ghazalla, H. (1995). Translation as Problems and Solutions. Valita: LGA Publication.
Gunther, G., & Tohmas, Z. (2012). Studies in Generative Grammar [SGG] Discourse and Grammar: From Sentence Types to Lexical Categories. De Gruyter Mouton USA, Munchen, DEU.
Hawkins, A. (1980). On Implicational and Distributional Universals of Word Order. Journal of Linguistics, 16 193-235.
House, J. (1977). A Model for Translation Quality Assessment, Tübingen: Gunter Narr.
Jakobson, R. (1959). On Linguistic Aspects of Translation', in R. A. Brower (ed.) On Translation (pp. 232-39). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Khalil, A. (2010). A Contrastive Grammar of English & Arabic (2 ed). Amman, Jordan: Jordan Book Centre.
Kingscott, G. (2002). Technical Translation and Related Disciplines. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 10 (4), 247-255. DOI: 10.1080/0907676X.2002.9961449
Leonardi, V. (2000). Equivalence in Translation: Between Myth and Reality. Translation Journal, 4, 7-14.
Newmark, P. (1988). A Textbook of Translation. New York: Prentice-Hall.
Nida, E. (1964). Toward a Science of Translating: with Special Reference to Principles and Procedures Involved in Bible Translating. Leiden: Brill.
Nord, C. (2018). Translating as a Purposeful Activity: Functionalist Approaches Explained (2nd ed). Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge.
PACTE (2003). Building a translation competence model. In F. Alves (ed.) Triangulating Translation: Perspective in Process Oriented Research. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 43-66.
Sa’eed, M., & Malalla, N. (2014). Some Problems of Translating Biochemical Texts from English into Arabic-A Critical Study. Adab AL Rafidayn, 44(69), 213-226.
Saraireh, M. (2014). Common Practice Errors Related to Syntactic Structures in English-into-Arabic Translation. Arab World English Journal, 5(2), 187 - 205.
Saraireh, M. (2001). Inconsistency in Technical Terminology: A Problem for Standardization in Arabic. Babel, 47(1), 10-21.
Saraireh, M. (2014). Common Practice Errors Related to Syntactic Structures in English-into-Arabic Translation. Arab World English Journal, 5(2), 187 - 205.
Sharkas, H. (2009). Translation Quality Assessment of Popular Science Articles. Corpus Study of the Scientific American and its Arabic Version. Trans-kom, 2(1), 42-62.
Sieny, M. (1985). Scientific Terminology in the Arab World: Production, co-Ordination, and Dissemination. Meta: Journal des Traducteurs/Meta: Translators' Journal, 30 (2), 155-160.
Thieverge, B. (2002). Translating scientific text: Practicalities and Pitfalls. Retrieved on October 20, 2021, from http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/members/securedDocuments/v25n6p188.pdf
Yowell, Y.A. & Lataiwish, M.S. (2000). Principles of Translation. Libia: Dar Annahda Alarabiya
Venuti, L. (2000). The Translation Studies Reader. London: Routledge
Vinay, J., & Darbelnet, J. (1958/1995). Comparative Stylistics of French and English: A Methodology of Translation. Translated by Juan Sager & M.J. Hamel. Amsterdam/ Philadelphia: John Benjamins. [Cited in Almanna, A. (2016). The Routledge Course in Translation Annotation. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis].
Zohre Owji, M. (2013). Translation Strategies: A Review and Comparison of Theories. Translation Journal, 17(1), 1-12.1. https://translationjournal.net/journal/63theory.htm
