The Terminology Work of Arabicization and Dissemination of Arabicized Terms in the Arab Press from the Perspective of Arab Journalistic Translators

Abstract

Abstract The paper investigates Arab journalists and journalistic translators’ perceptions towards the terminology work of Arabicization, which is laboriously shouldered by Arabic Language Academies (ALAs) in the Arab region. The paper discusses the Arabic academy’s Arabicized terms’ popularity and dissemination in Arab press agencies and outlets, in addition to the linguistic and extralinguistic factors, which play a key role in disseminating these Arabicized terms among Arab journalists, journalistic translators, and news editors. So far, the ALAs have made hugely concerted efforts to Arabicize foreign terms, particularly scientific and technical terminology, particularly from English (ST) into Arabic (TT). However, there is a lack of circulation of the academy’s Arabicized terminologies among Arab journalists and translators in the Arab press. Therefore, Arab journalistic translators in several Arab news agencies and networks were approached as respondents of five semi-structured, detailed interviews to provide an insightful understanding of the case at hand. Accordingly, data were collected via in-depth interviews, and based on the interpretive content analysis of the interviews, the data were analyzed, described, and interpreted. The findings revealed that the ALA’s Arabicized terms are not well-received by Arab journalists and translators and, therefore, these terminologies are not frequently used in the translation of news in the Arab press. The respondents pointed out that the ALA’s Arabicized terms are sometimes difficult to understand because they are unfamiliar forms of Arabic.