Research Articles In Interpretation and Translation KSU - COLT's RAIT

215 Pages·2017·4.15 MB·English

KSU - COLT’s RAIT King Saud
University
Research Articles In
Interpretation and Translation
@reemysn_art
Issue 7 - Spring 2017
TO OUR DEAR READERS...
RAIT is a compilation of research articles in the fields of
translation and interpretation. All the articles presented in this
magazine are written by a new generation of researchers;
students enrolled in "Research Methodology" offered at the
College of Languages & Translation, KSU.

My deep gratitude to Dr. Najia and Dr. Reem for their continued
support in such endeavors.

Happy reading! ~ Dina Al-Sibai, Course Instructor
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Translation of Collocations: Skills and Difficulties
By Amjad Abdullah Al-Moraya

Collocations in general mean putting things side by side. It is the same as in the linguistic field that collocations are a
combination of words that are often used together, in a way that sound correct to native speaker .According to Fernán-
dez, Prahlad, Rubtsova, and Sabitov, 2009, "a collocation is an expression consisting of two or more words that correspond to
some conventional way of saying things. The words together can mean more than their sum of parts" (p. 2). In fact, translation of
collocations is very important, but it has some difficulties.
Collocations in English usually come as word pairs, but it can also take other elements, e.g., run out of sth the whole
phrase will be considered as a collocation not just run out. However, collocation should be learned as single block or piece.
Therefore, it will be memorized and remembered by the mind effectively. Collocations learning helps non-native speakers to
speak and write fluently. In addition, it will help us to express ourselves in various ways (Altuwairesh, 2016; "Collocations," n.d.;
Nesselhauf, 2005).
According to Fernández, Prahlad, Rubtsova, and Sabitov, 2009, "A phrase is compositional if the meaning can be pre-
dicted from the meaning of the parts (e.g.: new products). It is non-compositional if the meaning cannot be predicted from the
parts (e.g.: hot dog, desktop publishing, soft skills)" (p. 2). Therefore, when it comes to the way we translate the collocation, usu-
ally it cannot be translated word for word to the target language TL. The translator needs to know the meaning in both languages.
Some can be translated literally and the others cannot. They also point out that idioms are observable examples of the non-
compositional phrase.
There are two ways to check the meaning of the collocations. The first way is to look up the meaning in the dictionary,
as there is a specialized dictionary for the collocations, for example, the Oxford Collocations Dictionary. The other way is look
up the meaning by using the corpus: "the International Corpus of Arabic and the Leeds Arabic Corpus offer concordance searches,
which are, as we seen, very useful for collocations" (Newman & Husni, 2015, p. 178).
More examples on the difference in translation of collocations between Arabic and English is seen in the verb "catch" in
English, when it collocates with other words such as, catch a cold, catch the bus, catch a fish. In Arabic, /صابلاب قحلي /دربلاب باصي
..ةكمس داطصيIt is clear that in Arabic it was translated using different verbs. And vice versa, the verb "hit" برضin Arabic, when it
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collocates with other words such as, .ةلثمأ ةدع ملعملا برض /راصعإ ةنيدملا برض /رمع ديز برضIn English, Zaidhit Omar/ A
hurricane struck the city/ The teacher provided many examples. As you can see above, the same verb in Arabic was translated
using different verbs in English: "The meaning of collocate depends on the word that is associates with" (Izwaini, 2016, p.
310).
On the whole, we need to pay attention to the words that combine with each, and we cannot put alternative words as
we like. For instance, run the risk of we cannot use other words such as, run the dangerof or run the peril of, it is not possible
or unusual (Nesselhauf, 2005). Just as, the word blonde is synonymous with fair, light, and bleach. However, it is right to say
blonde hair, but you cannot say light hair. on the other hand, it is not correct to use blonde with door
(Fernández, Prahlad, Rubtsova, & Sabitov, 2009). For this purpose, we should deal with the translation of collocations very
carefully to avoid misunderstanding and mistranslation.
References
Altuwairesh, N. S. (2016). Teaching collocations in EFL classroom. Arab World English Journal, 7(4), 13-30. Retrieved
from http://web.a.ebscohost.com
Collocations. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/collocations.htm
Fernández, R. F., Prahlad, S. R., Rubtsova, E., & Sabitov, O. (2009). Collocations in the vocabulary English teaching as a for-
eign language. ACIMED, 19(6), 1-5. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer
Izwaini, S. (2016). The translation of Arabic lexical collocations. Translation & Interpreting Studies: The Journal of the Ameri-
can Translation & Interpreting Studies Association, 11(2), 306-328. doi:10.1075/tis.11.2.09izw
Nesselhauf, N. (2005). Collocations in a learner corpus. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.sa/books
Newman, D. L., & Husni, R. (2015). Arabic-English-Arabic-English translation: Issues and strategies. Retrieved from https://
books.google.com.sa/books
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Machine Translation Problems
By Bushra Ahmad alkhualaif

MT is an abbreviation used to refer to Machine translation, which is the most common computer-assisted translation
method. It is based on computer software system that can do the process of translating texts from one language to another. How-
ever, this translation method is sometimes not logical nor accurate to the context and has to be revised many times before assign-
ing it. Also, human translation has similar problems as MT in translating; therefore, it is challenging as they stressed that "Human
and machine translation each have their share of challenges" (Dhopavkar, Kshirsagar, & Malik, 2015). Therefore, MT has to be
interfered by human translators to avoid its common linguistic, morphological, and syntax problems, while and after translating.
According to Eydne (2015),"A good translation is one which conforms to the rules and idioms of the target language,
while at the same time preserving – as much as possible – the meaning of the original" (p. 1).In other words, to have a perfect
translation, it is necessary to follow the rules of the target language as well as maintain the original meaning at the same time.
However, there are three knowledge types; monolingual, bilingual and linguistic which are considered to be the main issues for
MT. Therefore, not having these important types of knowledge which usually humans can have, MT may not always give us a
very good translation without human interference.
In 2014, Shi, Ishida, and Lin emphasized that resolving the MT errors is an important step for the progression of machine
translation. They stressed that, "In MT-mediated communication, translation errors lead to miscommunication" (p. 166). Hence,
errors of machine translation may affect so many levels of communication, which will result in a weak or ambiguities communi-
cation, for example, at the phrase, sentence and dialog level.
Gobboreported that "the adaptivity feature of machine translation systems often requires human agents: what is difficult
for machines is often trivial for humans" (p. 269). This explains that sometimes machine translation systems may need human
help to adapt common errors in translating, as it is very easy for human translators to make the system translate properly. It was
added that through persistent connection with the people using usage-based machine translation systems, it will help in the adap-
tivity feature of MT (2015).

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It is not an easy task to find out the appropriate ways which will let machine translationsystems produce a perfect and
error-free translation: "It is very challenging to discover ways how machine translation can produce acceptable/publishable
quality of translations" (p. 127). Therefore, human revision of one individual translation is necessary when using translation
machine to avoid errors that might disturb the translation semantically and morphologically (Dhopavkar, Kshirsagar, & Malik,
2015).
According to (Tanaka & Nagao, 1989), MT systems could produce many errors which may result in a weak transla-
tion, that is even when men and machines are working together in a closely coupled system, errors would occur. However,
humans can recognize most small errors easily and having them will not increase further errors: "In a closely coupled system, a
small error that is recognized by a human member of the team does not give rise to further errors" (p. 194). Moreover, MT
systems are different in use, so now the best commonand reliable used system is the rule-based and the statistical approach:
“Nowadays, the most widely used MT systems (Hybrid) use the rule-based and the statistical approach" (Okpor, 2014, para. 3).
References
Dhopavkar, G., Kshirsagar, M., & Malik, L. (2015). Issues in automatic machine translation of natural language
text. International Journal of Mind, Brain & Cognition, 6(1/2). Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.
Eydne, F. V. (2015). Linguistic issues in machine translation. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.sa/books?.
Gobbo, F. (2015). Machine translation as a complex system, and the phenomenon
of Esperanto. Interdisciplinary Description of Complex System, 13(2). Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com/
ehost/.
Okpor, M. D. (2014). Machine translation approaches: Issues and challenges. International Journal of Computer Science Is-
sues (IJCSI), 11(5), 159-165. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1617937023?accountid=142908
Shi, C., Ishida, T., & Lin, D. (2014). Translation agent: A new metaphor for machine translation. New Generation Compu-
ting, 32(2). Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com
Tanaka, H., & Nagao, M. (1989). Machine translation summit. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.sa/books?
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English to Arabic Translation: Metaphors
By Raghad A. Alduayj

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally
applicable. Many translators have deemed translating metaphors to be impossible. Therefore, not many translators convey the
meaning correctly in other languages that include Arabic and often mistranslate an Arabic metaphor beyond the point of recogni-
tion in other languages. In fact, translators have proved to have several issues when it comes to translating metaphors from Eng-
lish to Arabic.
According to Wang (2013), a metaphor was first defined by Aristotle as “The application to one thing of a name to be-
longing to another thing” (p. 531) and is linguistically defined as the reflection of conceptual metaphor in language. Also, a close
study of metaphor is important to understand the structure of language, thought, and discourse. She also points out that when it
comes to translating metaphors into another language, "As long as the original meaning is not impaired, it is essential to give pri-
ority to literal translation, for it is able to maintain the basic structure of the original sentence and also the reproduce its artistic
conception, image and intended meaning.” (p. 534).

Translating metaphors may present many issues to translators when it comes to how different cultures see different
things. According to Hassan (2014), one of the issues translators face while trying to translate metaphors is the fact that “the im-
age used in the metaphor or simile may be unknown in the receptor language" (p. 41) which means a translator must have a gen-
eral knowledge of the SL’s culture; "I share the view that metaphoric and idiomatic expressions of a given culture empower us to
understand how the members of that specific culture map out their experience of the world and record it into their mother
tongue.” (Popescu, 2015). For example, the translation of “ ”داو يف يناو داو يف كناas “We’re mountains apart” (p.165).

In 2012, Ghazala discussed the description of originality in different discourse genres as the most specific feature that
you can identify metaphors by. Also, this originality may be presented as another problem translators face. Translating a concept
that doesn’t exist in the TL is challenging to many translators since it goes beyond translation style and into a new way of think-
ing. Ghazala stressed that an example of the translation of an original political idiom and literature can be cited by illustration by
analyzing cognitively using the first domain of conceptualization and then by translating them into Arabic and discussing them
appropriately.
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Translating poetry imposes the same difficulties due to the fact that a poem generally relies on imagery and figures of
speech such as metaphors. Often, many translators fear translating metaphors, especially the ones used in poetry, due to fear of
translating the meaning while abandoning the SL's literal writing style. It has been noted that metaphors in poetry can be trans-
lated either by reproducing the same image in the TL, translating them as similes, translating them as similes plus sense or by
reproducing the image in the SL with a standard TL image (Lahlali and Abu, 2014).
Al-Hasnawi (2007) discussed the difficulty that translators face while translating metaphors in holy books and the
mistakes they make, such as translating "Harthunlakum” [Surat Al Bagarah, verse 223] to "a tilth for you”. He stressed that,
"Religion is considered the most common root metaphor since birth, marriage, death and other life experiences can convey
different meanings to different people depending on their religious beliefs.” (para. 40). Out of fear for mistranslation, a transla-
tor has no other solution than to replace the SL’s image with an image that doesn’t culturally clash with the TL.
References
Al-Hasnawi, A. R. (2007). A cognitive approach to translating metaphors. Translation Journal,
11(7). Retrieved from http://translationjournal.net/
Ghazala, H. S. (2012). Translating the metaphor: A cognitive stylistic conceptualization (English – Arabic). World Journal of
English Language, 2(4). Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/
Hassan, B. -E. (2014). Between English and Arabic: A practical course in translation. Retrieved from https://
books.google.com.sa/
Lahlali, E. M., & Abu, H. W. (2014). Literary texts. Advanced English-Arabic translation: A practical guide. Retrieved
from https://books.google.com.sa
Popescu, T. (2015). Translation of metaphors and idioms - Mission impossible? Journal of Linguistic Intercultural Education,
8. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=87cd9b1d-015d-4b4b-9006-
e5d87b3f1d5c%40sessionmgr120&vid=8&hid=116
Wang, L. (2013). Cultural functions in the translation of metaphor. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 4(3). Re-
trieved from http://www.academypublication.com/
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History of Translation in the Arab World
By Shrouq M.Alrasheed

Translation is one of the most effective factorst hat help many people in many things in their life such as communication
and education. Translation is not important just for now but even in the past especially for Arabs. According to Nady, 2014,
''Arabs started to pay attention to translation with the rise of Islam'' (para. 3). She also points out that Prophet Mohammed sup-
ported people to learn foreign languages and translate the Qur'anic verses and Islamic books.
In an article titled "History of Translation in the Arab World: An Overview'', it was reported that "the birth of Islam in
seventh century was the turning point, this period was the most important one in the history of Arab people" (p. 685). It was add-
ed that the era of the prophet Mohammed was an important era because he was supported by people to translate the messages from
Arabic into many other languages in order to spread Islam all over the world (2014).
Prophet Mohammed encouraged people to translate not only Islamic books but also the holy Quran. In 2014, Mehawesh
emphasized that the most important thing to the history of Arabic translation is translating the holy book Quran in order to let non-
Arabic speakers understand the meaning of the verses and the message of Islam. We have to know that not only Arabs were inter-
ested in translating the holy Quran but also foreign people. Bennison(2011) added that Robert Ketton from Europe was known for
his interest in translating the Quran.
The Abbasid era is one of the most important eras of history in Arabic translation. According to Jaber, 2015, "the Abbas-
id played a fundamental role in the development of the Arabic translation movement through translating books and works of dif-
ferent cultures such as Chinese, Persian, Indian, Greek, and Spanish" (p. 130). He also points out that the Abbasid Caliph Al-
Mansur promoted translating books from Arabic into different languages in many different fields such as science, philosophy, and
literature and as such, the libraries during this era were full with many translated books and works.
One of the important markers during the Abbasid era is Bayt al-Hikma (House of Wisdom) in Baghdad. In 2001, Baker
and Malmkjaer emphasized that there are 65 translators from all over the world working in Bayt al-Hikma,and as such, most of the
translated books were authored during this era. They stressed that, "Bayt al-Hikma (House of Wisdom) in Baghdad, functioned as
an academy, library and translation" (p. 320).
There were many famous translators during the era of Arab history. Freely (2009) stated that there are two well-known
translators in Abbasid era: Thabitibn Qurra and HunaynibnIshaq. According to Baker and Malmkjaer, 2001, "one of the most
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