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Article In: Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts: Online-First Articles

Assessment of translator trainees’ performance in translating news articles

ORCiD logo with link | Najran University
 | Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University
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Abstract
This study examined translator trainees’ performance in translating news articles from English into Arabic, focusing on textual features that were insufficiently explored in previous studies. Data were collected through the trainees’ translation of an English news article from an authentic source, considering its suitability for the participants’ proficiency level. The translated texts were evaluated according to specific criteria, including accurate transfer of main ideas, recognition of text types, and appropriate rendering of linguistic features. In addition, coherence and cohesion in the translated texts were assessed to determine overall translation quality. The data were analyzed quantitatively and quantitatively. A one-sample t-test revealed that the mean score (M = 76.62, SD = 7.20, N = 21) was significantly higher than the test value of 60, t(20) = 10.58, p < .001, 95% CI [13.34, 19.90], with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 2.31, 95% CI [1.47, 3.13]; Hedges’ g = 2.22). However, the trainees encountered three primary areas of difficulty: transfer of the source text’s main ideas, identification of text types, and maintaining coherence and cohesion in the target text. These difficulties may stem from limited translation training, insufficient awareness of text types, and incomplete understanding of English and Arabic linguistic and textual features. The study concludes with recommendations on translation training and assessment of translator trainees, particularly in the translation of journalistic texts.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Development of journalistic translation studies
    • 2.2Translation quality assessment
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Normality of distribution
    • 3.2Translation assessment
    • 3.3Selection of texts
    • 3.4Participants
    • 3.5Interrater reliability
    • 3.6Statistical analysis
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Quantitative analysis
    • 4.2Qualitative analysis
      • 4.2.1Pre-translation quality
      • 4.2.2During-translation quality
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Literalism and source text orientation
    • 5.2Genre awareness and communicative function
    • 5.3Cohesion, coherence, and stylistic norms
    • 5.4Theoretical implications for translation quality
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • Author queries
  • References
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