Abstract
<p>This study aims to highlight errors in translating Arabic phrases and expressions into English. It is part of a research that attempts to establish some cultural connections between those translational mistakes and the embedded Arabic and Saudi religious and cultural factors that influence making such errors. To achieve the set goal, the researcher observed many written English signs around the city of Tabuk in a period of two years and then archived and analyzed the various translation mistakes collected from universities’ announcements, religious flyers, hospital signs, bill board signs, shops and malls signs, personal signs...etc. The errors were classified into four categories: Singular/Plural, Sentence Structure and Syntax, Word Choice, and Spelling errors. Then a quiz was given to selected female English major students at the University of Tabuk; the quiz contained the same observed mistakes collected earlier. Therefore, the sample of the study was very diverse in its nature of Saudi Arabs and Arabs from other Arab countries that came to live and work in the city of Tabuk; while the students who took the quiz were all of Saudi nationality. It was concluded that the reasons Arab people who publish English translations fail to transfer the Arabic equivalence of English phrases and expressions are mainly due to literal translation and influencing cultural factors that make those people unfamiliar with the use of the right English words in their proper context.</p>
Highlights
Transferring a message into another language is not an easy task since it needs more than just knowing vocabulary and language grammar to form sentences but depends on knowing the appropriate use of words within their correct cultural context
It was concluded that the reasons Arab people who publish English translations fail to transfer the Arabic equivalence of English phrases and expressions are mainly due to literal translation and influencing cultural factors that make those people unfamiliar with the use of the right English words in their proper context
Unlike many researchers who adopted the technique of distributing a translation test with some phrases, expressions, and sentences to some sample of people analyze the translational errors based on the results, this research is a compilation of various English translational errors collected by observing various publications and signs from various places in the Tabuk region, Saudi Arabia; followed by a quiz based on the collected material given to English major students to investigate the translational errors further
Summary
Transferring a message into another language is not an easy task since it needs more than just knowing vocabulary and language grammar to form sentences but depends on knowing the appropriate use of words within their correct cultural context. The translation of Arabic words and expressions to English should account for the Arabic cultural context. Not all researchers consider cultural aspects in translation. Catford (1965) defined translation as the replacement of textual material in one language by equivalent textual material in another language. Newmark (1981) stated that translation is a craft consisting of the attempt to replace a written www.ccsenet.org/ijel Catford (1965) defined translation as the replacement of textual material in one language by equivalent textual material in another language. Newmark (1981) stated that translation is a craft consisting of the attempt to replace a written www.ccsenet.org/ijel
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