Exploring the Pedagogical Potential of Monolingual Corpora in Inverse Translation Training

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive study that delves into the untapped potential of incorporating monolingual corpora as a strategic tool within translator training to enhance trainees’ proficiency in the challenging domain of inverse translation from Arabic to English. By shedding light on the pedagogical promise of monolingual corpora in inverse translation instruction, this research underscores the critical need to integrate this tool into translator training curricula, thereby amplifying the translation competencies of trainees. The central research inquiry is as follows: How does using a monolingual corpus enhance the performance of students engaged in inverse translation of collocations from Arabic to English within the context of political and media texts? The researchers focused on two groups of female students specializing in political and media translation at the College of Language Sciences, King Saud University. These groups, a control and an experimental one, were meticulously trained with different references—while the control group relied on conventional bilingual dictionaries, the experimental group employed monolingual corpora as their primary translation references—the assessment criterion centered on translating a newspaper text. The noteworthy outcome of this comparative analysis was that the experimental group consistently outperformed their counterparts in the control group by leveraging monolingual corpora. The findings from this research offer precise guidance to enhance the efficiency of translation training programs. Moreover, the study equips translators with essential skills and competencies and elevates the quality of translation training programs.