AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies Volume, 1 Number 2, May 2017 Pp.92 -106
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol1no2.8
Translation and Arabicization Methods of English Scientific and Technical Terms into Arabic
Rokiah Awang
Translation Studies& Interpreting Section, School of Humanities
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Ghada Salman
Translation Studies&Interpreting Section, School of Humanities
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Abstract:
Due to linguistic differences among languages, rendering new concepts embodied in new terms has always been a challenging issue in translation. English has become the medium of science and technology. Therefore, it has dominance over other languages of the world. Technical terms and concepts are translated mainly from English to other languages such as the Arabic language. Because of the foreignness and unfamiliarity of these terms in Arabic, the Arabic Language Academyمجمع اللغة العربية[majma’ al-lughati al-arabiyah] has always endeavoured to coin native terms in order to domesticate and naturalizeforeign terminology into Arabic. To accomplish this goal, translation strategies, as well as Arabic word-formation techniques such as derivation and composition have been employed by the academy. Among Arabicization methods isoutright phonetic borrowing of the English term via transliteration into Arabic sounds and characters. Another form of borrowing is calque (loan translation). This translation and Arabicization method has also been used by the academy in its terminology work. The aim of this research is to identify strategies of translation and Arabicization used by the academy in its terminology work. Accordingly, a descriptive and comparative analysis of ten English scientific and technical terms with their translational and Arabicized equivalents were analyzed and discussed. These terms were translated and Arabicized by the Arabic Language Academy of Cairo (Cairo ALA), which adopted various translation and Arabicization approaches to introduce and assimilate these terms into Arabic. Translation methods included borrowing (loan word), loan translation (calque) and literal translation (word-for-word). Arabicization methods included outright phonetic borrowing, loan translation, derivation, and composition. Findings suggested that Cairo ALA has appropriately applied methods of translation, as well as techniques of Arabicization in its efforts to delimit the foreignness of English terms. Accordingly, these terms were properly domesticated into Arabic.
Keywords: Translation, Arabicization, word-formation methods, terminology, foreignization.
Cite as: Awang,R.& Salman, G. (2017). Translation and Arabicization Methods of English Scientific and Technical Terms into Arabic. Arab World English Journal for Translation & Literary Studies, 1(2). DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol1no2.8