Academic materials titles at Qassim University: A study of differences in Arabic - English Translations across departments at Qassim University

Abstract

Objectives: Given the rapid pace of globalization and the emergent geopolitical dynamics, communication has taken a new dimension. Translation is also one aspect of this. Today, world of translation has come a long way from the grammar-translation approach to machine-assisted translation and the human interface that lies somewhere between these two extremes. For Saudi Arabia, translation in academic and research fields is a relatively new entrant and, therefore, one that calls for continuous evaluation and examination in terms of quality and shortcomings. In institutions of higher education, outstanding academic and research titles and works are frequently being recommended for translation to English. However, the titles are a big casualty in this exercise as the same title(s) is/ are translated twice at College and Deanship levels, bringing about discrepancies of style, form, and content which cause ambiguity in the classification of the work. Working with forty such titles approved by the Qassim University, the study rates the translations and identifies the loopholes in the translations. Overall, it is concluded that the translations at the Deanships are almost perfect while those at the Colleges, being word for word translations, are erroneous, misleading, and poor in the target language. The study concludes with some pertinent recommendations.