Translation in Undergraduate Degree Programmes: Rising Students’ Awareness toward Translation as a Means to Enhancing their English Language Production
Prepared by the researche :Dr Ouided SEKHRI – Department of Arts and English – Frères Mentouri University-Constatine 1, Algeria
Democratic Arabic Center
Journal of cultural linguistic and artistic studies : Thirty-second Issue – June 2024
A Periodical International Journal published by the “Democratic Arab Center” Germany – Berlin
Journal of cultural linguistic and artistic studies
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Abstract
This paper stresses issues that arise from the teaching of English-Arabic-English translation in undergraduate level at the University of Constantine One. It focuses on the difficulties that arise from the process of translation in both second and third year English students. This is done through an experimental study which is composed of two tests one is given to students before teaching them some theories along with their application that is based on extensive training (exercises). The second is given to them as a continuum of their training in order to see what have students achieved after being exposed to the first test. The results showed that whenever the students are exposed to a great number of exercises whenever they get used to finding equivalents and becoming literate enough especially in the English language which enhances their English language production.
- Introduction
Translation is broadening the horizon of one’s language. It is an art or a kind of passion. It reflects having the desire to expand the knowledge of one’s language as it is always possible to say the same thing in another way, i.e., in another way in a different language. It is the activity of carrying across, i.e., the transportation and relocation of texts from one language to another. Gerding-Salas (2000, para.1) underlines that “the main aim of translation is to serve as a cross-cultural bilingual communication vehicle among peoples.” So, translation establishes bridges of appreciation and understanding between different languages, cultures, and societies. Translation is the most demanding profession that many are capable of envisioning as it is a demanding task whose aim is to travel through cultures. Moreover, as House (2013, p. 03) puts it “translation mediates between cultures, and literatures, and it is through translations that linguistic and cultural barriers may be overcome.” In this respect, translation is considered as a secondary means of communication since through translation the message communicated in one language may be doubled in another language. This message can also be transmitted to a great number of people all over the world. Hence, in this paper the focus is on the importance of translation studies, the multidisciplinarity of translation, the characteristics of designing a course of translation, translation in undergraduate programmes, and the difficulties students may face when rendering one specialised text from one language to another (here English and Arabic). For that, this question is asked: What are the main issues that researchers face during the translation process? In order, to answer the aforementioned question, it is hypothesised that: Culture is the primordial obstacle students may face when translating specialised texts.
- Translation Studies
The major thing that may be learnt from translation studies is that the effective concern for translation is to be shown not in the generalities but in the concrete, the immediate and the specific. In fact, the issues of translation studies raise from whether to look at the translation teaching from an abstract and theoretical view point or whether to consider it as a practical empirical discipline. The most vital and logical standpoint is taking the latter which is deeply required in the world of academia in both teaching and learning. In other words, the focus should be on knowing the main standards of translation teaching, achievements of undergraduates and graduates in the academic world, the content of syllabuses and the role of lectures. As a result, dealing with translation from a practical perspective helps in solving practical problems which assault translation habits and translation skills of mind. Teaching translation should be based on clarifying the relation between the content and the patterns of translation along with linguistic behaviour and the practical experience of translation. For that, translation teaching and translation learning should be systematized. The role of translation teachers is to provide students with a number of related or unrelated fields in order to avoid over-specialization. The main concern of translation studies is dealing with textual matters as it is difficult to relate between the mind and the source text sender, the translator and the target text reader. As a result, the translator is not always willing to balance between source text and the target text. He is willing to create a new and good product which will reflect the same meaning of source text in the target language (Wilss, 1996a).
Having been involved in translation teaching for about five years, I wonder whether teachers can realize what they are committed to do in relation to pedagogy and the nature of translation as a subject matter. So, there is no fixed dispensation of the methods used as certified teaching values in translation. And for that, nowadays we are getting more and more free from the old-fashioned dichotomy between literal and free translation. Hence, the choice is made between one approach or the other.
From an academic perspective, one major way of dealing with translation is to pay adequate attention both to the message of the source language and the message of the target language taking into consideration linguistic and sociocultural aspects when going from the source text to the target text. In reality the source text provides the translator with the basic guidelines.
Nowadays, translation teaching is finding its way just as other disciplines have found theirs. Amongst those is the combination between knowledge and skills which are coupled and should move together. Thus, the nature of translation determines what the teaching of translation should be. Translation teaching is a diversified discipline for that it needs careful attention when dealing either with its theoretical point of view or when tackling its practical issues. For that, it is worth dealing with some of the characteristics of translation courses and how the teacher should deal with his course in order to dominate the scene of his class.
- English Language Production
According to Breen (1985, p. 60) “one of the main authentic activities within a language classroom is communication about how best to learn to communicate”. This implies that the most important activity in the classroom is learning how to communicate perfectly and in the appropriate way. In reality, language is recognized to be an integral part of establishing dialogues and communicating between nations and peoples for mutual benefit in economy and security. Kramsch (1993) has written that every time we speak we perform a linguistic and a cultural act which implies that culture is embedded within the spoken language. Crozet and Liddicoat (2000) argue that the communicative approach to language teaching has failed to explicitly focus on the socio – cultural supporting of language. Hence, someone whose social identities include being ‘a translation teacher’ will have acquired the knowledge, values, and behaviours shared with other teachers through a process of socialization since an intercultural speaker as well as a translator needs some knowledge to deal with the different contexts he finds himself in or he encounters in his life especially when dealing with to different languages and trying to render one text from the source language to the target language. As a result, the translation teacher who has the communicative competence needed for presenting his course will be able to transmit this faculty to his students in one way or the other.
For the sake of developing student’s ability to communicate effectively and their awareness toward translation, recognizing the following aims should be involved:
- To give learners intercultural competence and enable them to translate as well as providing them with linguistic competence;
- To prepare them for interaction and expose them to others’ cultures in order to be able to deal with different texts belonging to different fields;
- To enable them understand texts from other registers reflecting others’ cultures; and
- To help them see that dealing with new registers is an enriching experience as it makes them able to acquire new vocabulary and new ways of
- Characteristics and Features of Translation Courses
One thing that should not be forgotten in presenting Translation courses is the organization of courses since there should be different curriculum with different types of exercises and different materials.
The organization of the Translation course is very important because it is the key factor which leads to achieve a satisfying goal in the course. There are many factors playing a great role in organizing a translation course. In fact, the teacher should be aware of the specific purpose for which English is learnt. The teacher should be aware of the answer of questions such as; what does the student need to learn? What aspects of language are going to be needed and how they are going to be described? (Hutchinson and Waters, 1992, pp. 19- 22). Hutchinson and Waters (1992, p. 22) speak about “learning theory” which provides the theoretical basis for the methodology, by helping us to understand how people learn. Hutchinson and Waters (1992) focused on another aspect which discusses questions such as; ‘who’, ‘why’, ‘where’, and ‘when’ and their relation with the nature of particular learning situation and target. These are described as ‘needs analysis’. In order to organize the course effectively and achieve the intended goals, three steps such as the following should be followed.
- Selecting material
The choice of materials in translation determines the running of the course and highlights the content of the lesson. Materials can be an introduction into the new learning techniques and help teachers and learners during the process of learning. Teachers determine which aspects of translation learning will be taken into account. Yet, only one piece of material can serve for developing more than one skill, e.g. reading, listening, vocabulary etc. Materials should also function as a link between already learnt (´existing knowledge´) and new information. (Hutchinson and Waters, 1992).
- Types of activities with texts
As a learning tool, texts can be used as a material for practicing a wide range of skills. The translation course may develop different skills in the learners such as communicative and reading skills and vocabulary. To make the working with a text as more effective as possible, the focus should be on all students’ skills. Thus, using productive and receptive such as providing students with audio-tape and video-tape while working with printed texts is a good method of work because it helps them acquire new information about the new learnt theme and enables them dig deeper in their minds to find exact equivalents for the text they want to render from English into Arabic
- Creating a learning environment (motivation)
This criterion is very important. For that, creating a positive atmosphere in the classroom is the primary factor which will help in achieving the setting objectives. Creating a pleasant atmosphere is directly related to motivation which is a very crucial part of students’ work since it affects their future negatively or positively. Harmer describes motivation as “some kind of internal drive that encourages somebody to pursue a course of action” (Harmer, 1991: 14). Students should be motivated as much as possible in order to, achieve the real aim of the activities.
- The Role of Translation Teacher
Translation is taught in many universities of the world such as any professional associations of teachers of English. Much attention is devoted to translate on didactics and translation courses and design. Translation teaching has much in common with English as a foreign or Second Language and English for Academic purposes (EAP) yet the teacher is going to be a bilingual or a multilingual teacher. As a result, he should know how to teach the English language (EAP) in relation to English for Specific Purposes, i.e., the specificities of the different registers, and the methods used in rendering a given text from one language to another.
Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998) prefer to name the teacher of ESP using the term “ESP practitioner” as this definition seems to be more detailed and complete. This definition applies for the translation teacher also. They distinguish the following key roles of ESP practitioner that maybe used also for a translation teacher (practitioner):
- teacher
- course designer and materials provider
- collaborator
- researcher
- evaluator
The first role which the teacher of translation should play is ‘a teacher’ which is synonymous to that of the teacher of GE yet the methodology changes since here the purpose is more specific as it is related to creating a new version in another language. In Translation classes, the students are the primary knowers of the content of materials not the teacher. In the first role played by the teacher, he should create a communicative atmosphere in the class based on the students’ knowledge. In the second role, the translation teacher becomes a course designer and material provider; he prepares the courses and provides students with the materials needed for their studies. The teacher’s task does not stop at providing students with printed texts, it exceeded that to the adaptation of published materials when they are not suitable. The third role is a collaborator. In this role the translation teacher, in order to meet the specific needs of the learners and adopt the methodology and activities of the target discipline, must first work closely with field specialists as discussed by Johns et al. (1988) because he is liable to deal with different specialized fields in his classes and to make sttudents practice the amount of knowledge they have learnt in the theory of translation. After that, the teacher is likely to make a research in order to design the aim(s) behind his course in order to fulfil the students’ needs. The role of the translation practitioner as a ‘researcher’ is especially important, with results leading directly to appropriate materials for the classroom. The last role is that of an evaluator. Evaluation is not new in the case of the translation teacher, but it is different in its importance because he should be involved in the testing of students and noticing the effectiveness of the teaching and the students’ progress. In addition, the Practitioner of translation should evaluate the testing materials and the course aim which is related mainly to the grasping the theory and putting it into practice as a means to creating a new product in the target language after dealing with the translation process.
- The Training of the Translation Teacher
Training the teachers is very important for translation courses as it enables them to meet students’ needs. Thus, teachers should follow some steps about themselves.
- Selection: The selection phase is very important because not all teachers are able to become a translation Thus, it is worth selecting those who are willing to be translation practitioners.
- Continuing personal education: Teachers should be well educated either in the courses of their studies when they where students in their fourth year (nowadays third year) or in their post graduate studies in their field of specialization, or simultaneously in their professional
- General professional training as an educator and teacher: This step is related to all teachers since it deals with what all the teachers should Teachers should know the psychology and sociology of teaching and have an educational thought especially the role of syllabus and teaching materials and how to manage students’ skills.
- Special training as a teacher of a foreign or second language: This step makes the teachers understand the students’ needs which is mainly important for the courses because it will be helpful to
- Issues of the Teaching of English-Arabic-English Translation in Undergraduate Level
It is believed that professional translators need awareness, reflectiveness and resourcefulness, by which we mean:
- Awareness of the translator that he should develop his critical thinking positively “not simply to look through language to the content of the message, but rather to see through language to the ways in which messages are mediated and shaped” (Carter, 1993, p. 142). For that, the translator must go beyond the sole words and texts, and dig deeper in order to see language as a network of connected permissible choices, which are affected by the culture they express, which is in turn influenced by As a result, awareness is the first phase that translators should follow towards a professional and ethical attitude towards their job, as learners to make them aware that they are not simply “trans-coders” who are constructing a puzzle where source words are substituted with target words, but constructors of meaning and mediators of culture.
- Reflectiveness that it is important for a translator to develop the capacity to practice, store and use more or less specific strategies and procedures involved in translation. My impression is that there is no agreement yet as to what these may be. At the very basic level, text analysis, reading and writing procedures and strategies may be Project management and group work also have their supporters, and there is quite a large and varied literature on local translation strategies (cf. e.g. Chesterman 1998; Kussmaul 1995, and the literature on process-oriented translation research in general).
- Resourcefulness that attention should be devoted to fostering the ability to exploit a number of resources indefinitely (competencies and capacities) to cope with new and unexpected challenges, and to acquire new resources autonomously, as the need
- The Method of the Research (Students’ Training)
This study is exploratory by nature; it is composed of two tests one is given to students before teaching them some theories along with their application that is based on extensive training (exercises). The second is given to them as a continuum of their training in order to see what they have achieved after being exposed to the first test.
According to Widdowson (1984, pp. 201–212), on the one hand, a fundamental distinction should be drawn in language pedagogy between training and education. The aim of the former is to prepare learners to solve problems that can be identified in advance through the application of pre-set, or “acquired” procedures. Learning through training is a cumulative process, in which the learner is required to put together as large an inventory of pieces of knowledge as possible in the field in which he is being trained. This approach is suitable for teaching e.g. Language for Specific Purposes, particularly when the short-term objectives of the course and the long-term aims of instruction coincide to a large extent. One extreme, and therefore clear, example provided by Widdowson of a good training situation is “language for air traffic control purposes”.
On the other hand, translation is an activity that requires educated rather than trained professionals. Thus, education cannot be given short periods of time because it is a constitutive feature of translation professionalism. The main aim of education is favouring the growth of the individual, developing his cognitive capacities and enabling him to cope with the most varying situations of this profession.
- Teaching Translation in Undergraduate (Second and Third Years) Programmes
- The Sample
The sample of the test consists of eighty (80) students, i.e., two representative groups of second year students and one hundred sixty (160), i.e., four representative groups of third year from the English Department of Constantine One University. The sample is said to be homogeneous and it fits the research standards because the whole number of second year English students is about fourteen groups with forty students per group and the number of third year English students is about ten groups with fifty students per group. So, either the sample of second year English groups or those of third year English groups are regarded as a representative sample for the whole population. Most of these students come from a literary stream in their secondary school education especially the one that is related to languages (Arts and Foreign Languages). The choice of students of second and third years is due to the fact that second years have just started learning translation and that third years have reached the level of being able to render the message from one language to another effectively as they have studied translation for a whole year and they have dealt with different ways of finding equivalents to both a word and a sentence. However, this is the last year of third year English students in their studies and after that, most of them will get directed to the specialty related to translation and which is called ‘Applied Language Studies’. Moreover, they have studied the different theories of translation in general and they may put them into practice.
- Description of the First Test
The test which has been given to second year English students before teaching them theories and methods of translation is a list of proverbs which range from the simplest to the most difficult. These proverbs are given to the students for the sake of knowing how they are supposed to deal with types of sentence which they are not familiar with. The list of proverbs is divided into groups depending on the degree of difficulty. They are as follows:
Group “A” Absolute Equivalence
- “Like father like son.”
(الولد صنو أبيه)
- “Do not put of your duty till tomorrow.”
(لا تؤجل عمل اليوم على الغد)
- “There is nothing new under the sun.”
(لا جديد تحت الشّمس)
- “All that glitters is not gold.”
(ما كلّ ما يلمع ذهبا)
- “A drowning man will clutch at a straw.”
(الغريق يتعلّق بقشّة)
This group of proverbs is the easiest for students as they have different possibilities in the target language and can guess one of them. For example, the proverb “like father like son” can have four possible equivalents in the Arabic language which are as:
- (الولد صورة من أبيه)
- (من شابه أباه فما ظلم)
- (الولد سرّ أبيه)
(هذا الشّبل من ذاك الأسد) .4
Group ‘B’ Similar Equivalence
- ‘Forbidden fruit is sweet’.
(أحبّ شيء إلى الإنسان ما منعا/كلّ ممنوع مرغوب)
Literally : (الثّمرة الممنوعة حلوة)
- “Blood is thicker than water”.
(الدّم لا يصير ماء)
Literally : (الدّم أسمك من الماء)
- “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush”.
(عصفور في اليد خير من عشرة على الشجرة)
Literally : (طائر في اليد خير من إثنين في الشّجرة)
- “Birds of a feather flock together”.
(إنّ الطّيور على أشكالها تقع)
Literally: (الطير ذات الريش نفسه تجتمع سوية)
(الفقر ليس خطيئة)
- “Let bygones be bygones”.
(ما مضى قد مضى/ما فات مات/ عفا الله عمّا سلف)
Literally: (دع أحداث الماضي أحداثا ماضية)
Compared to the first group of proverbs, this group is difficult to translate yet students can translate it as it is not very difficult to be translated and hence the students can guess the meaning as in:
“Let bygones be bygones”:
- (دع الماضي ماضيا)
- (ما مضى مضى وانقضى)
- (لننس الماضي)
- (عفا الله عمّا مضى
Group ‘C’ Different Equivalence
- “To Lock the stable door after the horse has bolted”.
(سبق السّيف العزل/لا ينفع التّرياق إذا بلغت الرّوح التراقي)
Literally : (يقفل باب الإصطبل بعد ان هرب الحصان)
- “A stitch in time saves nine”.
(التّدبير نصف المعيشة/ درهم وقاية خير من قنطار)
Literally : (درزة في وقت توفّر تسعا)
- “One man’s meat is another man’s poison”.
(مصائب قوم عند قوم فوائد)
Literally : (لحمة زيد قد تكون سمّا لعمرو)
- “The grass is greener on the other side of the hill/fence”.
(مزمار الحيّ لا يطرب)
Literally : (العشب أكثر خضرة في الجانب الآخر للتّلّة/ السّياج)
- “Love me love my dog”.
(وأحبّها وتحبّني ويحبّ ناقتها بعيري)
Literally : (أحبّني أحبّ كلبي)
This third and last group of proverbs is the most difficult to translate because these proverbs do not have a straightforward literal relations to their Arabic equivalents. Hence, if the literal translations of these proverbs mentioned previously in the examples confirm this. Therefore, the problem here is not easy to overcome. However, a solution of some kind should be suggested by:
- Consulting good specialist monolingual as well as bilingual references;
- Consulting the teacher;
- Resulting the colloquial Arabic;
- Or, as a last resort, translating the meaning of the proverb with extra care and full
- Description of the Second Test
The second text is a poem of the American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) which was given to the same group of the students in order to see if they have achieved a good level after teaching them some strategies and procedures that professional translators are intended to use whenever they are willing to render the meaning of a given item from the source language to the target language. They were also exposed to the difference between the grammatical structures of both English and Arabic. This is done in order to raise the awareness of students towards how these two distant languages use the same thing in different ways. Since the verses of the poems are easy and clear, even if they are loaded with deep meaning, the majority of students succeeded in getting the intended meaning in simple English but not in a poetic one. This is an achievement to them compared to their level as beginners.
| Original Version (English) | Translated Version (Arabic) |
| Devotion
The heart can think of no devotion |
إخلاص
لا يمكن للقلب أن يفكر في إخلاص أعظم من أن يكون شاطئاً للمحيط متمسكاً بمنحنىً لموضع واحد، يَعُدُّ تكراراً لا نهاية له ترجمة الدكتور نزار سرطاوي
|
Table 1: Devotion
- Teaching Translation in third Year English Programmes
- Description of the First Test
The first test which has been given to third year English students is a specialized economic text which is characterized for its brief and special style where the passive voice is currently used. It is famous for the use of the present timeless tense. In this type of texts, the most important thing is the action and when it is carried out, not who did the action. The text is composed of two paragraphs. Each of which comprises simple and straightforwardly expressed sentences whose style is scientific and direct. This economic text is as follows:
- Original Version (English)
The hydro-carbons sector is the backbone of the economy in Algeria. It accounts for roughly 60% of its revenues, 30% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Products), and over 95% of its exports. Algeria has the seventh largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the second largest gas exporter; it ranks the fourteenth in oil reserves. Sustained high oil prices in recent years along with economic policy reforms supported by the IMF (International Monetary funds) have improved Algeria’s financial indicators.
Algeria has been able to decrease her foreign debt to less than 10% of its GDP after repaying (paying back) what it borrowed from Paris Club and London Club in 2006. However, the government’s efforts to diversify economy and to attract the national and external investments outside the hydrocarbons sector have not succeeded in reducing the high rate of unemployment and in improving the living standards. The structural reform within the economy such as the development, the banking sector and the construction of the infrastructure advances (move) slowly hampered by corruption and bureaucracy.
- Translated Version (Arabic)
يعتبر قطاع المحروقات العمود الفقري لاقتصاد الجزائر. إذ يساهم بما يقارب 60 % من عائداتها، و 30 % من الدّخل القومي الخام الإجمالي و أكثر من 95 %من صادراتها. تملك الجزائر (ويمثل احتياطي الجزائر) من الغاز الطبيعي المرتبة السابعة، و هي ثاني أكبر بلد مصدّر لهذه الثّروة كما أنها تقع في المرتبة 14 ضمن قائمة الدول المصدّرة للنّفط. وقد ساهم ارتفاع أسعار النّفط المتواصل في السنوات الأخيرة مع سياسة المصلحين الاقتصادية التي يدعمها صندوق النّقد الدولي في تحسين المؤشرات المالية الجزائرية.
واستطاعت الجزائر أن تخفض ديونها الخارجية إلى أقل من 10% من الدّخل القومي الخام بعد أن سدّدت ما استدانته من نادي باريس ونادي لندن سنة 2006. إلّا أنّ مجهودات الحكومة في تنويع الاقتصاد وجلب الاستثمارات القومية منها والخارجية خارج مجال الطاقة لم تنجح في تقليص النّسبة المرتفعة من البطالة، و في تحسين مستوى المعيشة. فالإصلاح الهيكلي على مستوى الاقتصاد كتطوير القطاع المصرفي و تشييد البنية التّحتية يتقدّمان ببطء تحت وطأة الفساد و البيروقراطية.
- Description of the Second Test
The second text directed to third year English students is a politician text composed of two paragraphs. It was given to the students after teaching them the main concepts and theories of translation studies along with some practical exercises. It revolves around a political concept which is ‘conspiracy’ and how it emerged and developed in recent years. It is composed of two paragraphs. Each of these two paragraphs is composed of simple sentences. The text is as follows:
- Original Version (Arabic)
نظرية المؤامرة
هي فكرة مفادها أنّ كثيرا من الأحداث السياسية أو الاتجاهات الاقتصادية و الاجتماعية هي نتيجة مؤامرات و دسائس يجهلها الجمهور العامّ. و يرى أصحاب نظرية المؤامرة أنّ السّلطات السياسية متورطة في عملية خداع و احتيال كبيرة كقناع لنشاطاتها و نواياها. إذ تعتبر الروايات الرّسمية للأحداث مشبوهة. و قد تكون نظريات المؤامرة قديمة قدم المجتمع ذاته.
و أشهر مثال استحوذ على خيال الجمهور ما ادّعي بشأن اغتيال الرّئيس كينيدي بأنّه لم يتمّ بفعل مجرم منعزل و لكن بتواطؤ من المافيا و الكوبيين و وكالة المخابرات المركزية الأمريكية، و بتحالف من العسكريين و أرباب الصّناعة. و لقد ازدهرت نظريات المؤامرة أيضا حول اغتيال شخصيات أخرى على غرار روبرت كينيدي و مارتن لوثر كينغ الابن سنة 1968.
- Translated Version (English)
Conspiracy Theory
It is the idea that many important political events or economic and social trends are the products of conspiracies that are largely unknown by the public. Conspiracy theorists often assume that political authorities are involved in massive deception and cover ups to disguise their actions and intentions. Official versions of events are regarded with suspicion. Conspiracy theories are probably as old as the human society itself.
The most famous example which has gripped the public imagination what was claimed about the assassination of President Kennedy was not by a single (sole) murder act (by a murder act alone) but by conspiracy involving the MAFIA, the Cubans, and the American Central Intelligent Agency (CIA); and by an alliance between the Military and the Industrials. Conspiracy theory prospered (flourished) around the assassination of other personalities such as Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King the Junior in 1968.
- Results and Discussion
As far as the first test (Translation of proverbs) related to second year English students is concerned, it was very difficult for students to translate it with all its three levels. They have tried to guess the meaning which was sometimes correct and sometimes wrong. In fact, they have been submitted to this test as a starting point in teaching them translation in order to prepare them to the process of translation in their path in the translation subject matter. The results of this test, which has been an opening for teaching second year English students, showed that students ignore what is the essence and the sense of this subject matter as they have just been exposed to this new subject matter at the beginning of this year. So, group ‘A’ of proverbs was a bit simple for them to translate. As far as, group ‘B’ is concerned, one group of students has provided us with different equivalents which stand for the English proverbs which reflects their cultural knowledge. Both groups failed in finding equivalents to the English proverbs of group ‘C’.
On the other hand, the results of the second test given to second year English students showed that students have acquired some knowledge compared to the beginning of the year where they were illiterate in this subject matter in particular. They have become literate enough to translate four rhetorical sentences whose style is considered as difficult in a good manner.
However, the first test directed to third year English students is a specialized economic text related to the current situation of Algeria’s economy. It has been dealt with for the first time. Even if it is a simple text, the majority of students did not manage to translate it correctly because it is the first time they are exposed to such type of texts. Hence, some of them succeeded to render it in a very good style reflecting their knowledge of the Arabic language and the ability of using their mental faculty in controlling the source and the target languages altogether.
The second test directed to third year English students is another specialized text. It is a politician text. The direction which has been chosen is from Arabic into English. As far as this test is concerned, the results showed that the students have succeeded in the translation of texts even if these texts belong to different specialized registers. In fact, when the direction is from Arabic into English especially when they are taught about the methods that should be used they may succeed in rendering the text. In addition, the procedures and strategies that have been used by translators students are very useful especially: free translation and paraphrasing.
What can be inferred from the results of this test is that students are not well trained in the translation of different texts. So, they are in the beginning of their way towards knowing how to translate some textual elements. They need more practice in order to reach a good level. In a nutshell, the results showed that whenever the students are exposed to a great number of exercises whenever they get used to finding equivalents and becoming literate enough especially in the English language which enhances their English language production.
- Pedagogical Recommendations
Translation pedagogy is still in its infancy. It is in need of its substantial theorization For that, the best way to teach undergraduate students to translate is to replicate a professional potential situation (Bernardini, 2000). Learners are not yet professionals, they do not have the same age and the same experience. Therefore, they may need to carry out such tasks and draw the lessons that the teacher expects them to draw.
By taking the focus on differences into account, negative stereotypes can be reinforced. A focus on similarities may help students identify with the otherness and promote understanding and empathy by the end. So, a teacher should try to design a series of activities to enable learners to discuss and draw conclusions themselves and solely from their own experience of the target culture as a result of what they have heard or read. The teacher might provide some factual information related to the life-styles current in the cultures and patterns usually followed by members of these cultures, which gives the learners the opportunity to compare their culture with what the teacher has provided them and as a result to become able when translating a text from one language to another. Thus, the important thing is to encourage comparative analysis with learners’ own culture in order to learn more about the target culture and enhance the way they understand it. For example, foreigners’ views about the learners’ country as represented in travel guides or in tourist brochures might be compared with the learners’ own experience and views about their own country; they will quickly discover that there is a difference. They can then be asked to think whether their perceptions of the foreign country will be the same as those of the inhabitants themselves or not. As a result, this helps them to acquire the culture of the language they want to translate into.
The teacher does not need to have experience or be an expert on the target culture. The teacher’s task is to help learners ask questions, and to interpret answers. Thus, a non-native speaker inferiority complex is only the result of misunderstanding and prejudice. What is more important than native speakers’ knowledge is an ability to analyze since a specific training in systemic cultural analysis is of a great importance in becoming a foreign language or a translation teacher, regardless of the teacher’s mother-tongue. This is not to deny the importance of linguistic competence and it may be important to follow the authority of the native speaker in linguistic competence, but intercultural competence is a quite different matter because it is also important as it helps the translator to deal with different types of texts in translation pedagogy (Byram, Gribvoka, & Starkey, 2002).
- CONCLUSION
Translation teachers have a great role in developing the ability of students to see the world differently since their choice of words can affect students’ way of learning to view others’ cultures. This may be done through equipping students with the skills to interpret the language and cultural images which are experienced outside the classroom. Since translation, language teaching and learning develop critical thinking and learning, learners will be able to develop tolerance towards others and a better understanding of themselves. In short, Critical self-reflection and analytical skills should be part of learning another language and its culture.
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Short Biography about the Author
Ouided SEKHRI is a Doctor in Applied Language Studies at the English Department, University of Mentouri Brothers Constantine One, Algeria. She got her MA from the same department in Applied Language Studies (Translating Tenses from English into Arabic: The Case of the Present Perfect). She has been specifically interested in Linguistics, and translation studies. She has twelve years’ experience of teaching different subject matters (English for specific purposes with its different registers, themes and versions, research methodology, research and Copyright, Ethics and Deontology, translation and linguistics) in two departments (translation and English) and three universities (Constantine 1, Oum Bouaghi, and the Islamic University Emir Abdelkader Constantine, Algeria). She published a number of articles in the field of her specialisation related to teaching and learning, sociolinguistics, translation in general and the translation of poetic discourse in particular. She participated in a number of national and international conferences and seminars. Her doctorate was centred on the translation of poetic discourse and specifically the translation of Robert Frosts’ poetry from English into Arabic. Dr. Ouided SEKHRI can be reached at the Email: widaddoudou92@yahoo.com or mobile: 00213553534652.
