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Article
Publication date: 25 July 2019

Mehrdad Vasheghani Farahani, Omid Rezaei and Milad Masoomzadeh

The purpose of this paper (experimental–comparative research) is to investigate the possible impacts of explicit and implicit teaching Persian structures and editing methods on…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper (experimental–comparative research) is to investigate the possible impacts of explicit and implicit teaching Persian structures and editing methods on the translation performance of the Iranian undergraduate translation students.

Design/methodology/approach

This research enjoyed a quasi-experimental design. A quasi-experimental research design was used in this research, as it was impossible to assign random sampling to the subjects. In addition, this research was a comparative group study as there were two experimental groups with two different treatments and one control group with placebo. Table I represents the design of the research.

Findings

The results showed that before the treatment there were no significant differences between three groups in terms of translation performance; however, after treatment, the results indicated a statistically significant difference between two experimental groups and treatment group. Moreover, explicit instruction yielded more positive results than the implicit group.

Originality/value

Although research in the field of translation assessment and quality in relation to target language are prevalent and in spite of the abundance of research in the field of implicit/explicit instructions in second language teaching and learning, there is no research (to the best knowledge of authors) which looks at translation performance from teaching structures and editing methods of target language perspective with the focus of explicit and implicit (in an English–Persian context).

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2019

Mehrdad Vasheghani Farahani and Zeinab Amiri

In an effort to bridge the gap between applying translation corpora, specialized terminology teaching and translation performance of undergraduate students, the purpose of this…

Abstract

Purpose

In an effort to bridge the gap between applying translation corpora, specialized terminology teaching and translation performance of undergraduate students, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible impacts of teaching specialized terminology of law as a specific area of inquiry on translation performance of Iranian undergraduate translation student (English–Persian language pairs). The null hypothesis of this study is that using specialized terminology does not have statistically significant impacts on the translation performance of the translation students.

Design/methodology/approach

The design of this research was experimental in that there was pretest, treatment, posttest and random sampling. In other words, this research was pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design. This design was used in this research as the number of subjects who participated in the research was limited. Apart from being experimental, this research enjoyed a corpus-based perspective. As Mcenery and Hardie (2012) claim, corpus-based research uses the “corpus data in order to explore a theory or hypothesis, typically one established in the current literature, in order to validate it, refute it or refine it” (p. 6). Table I shows the design of this research.

Findings

The results of this research indicated that on the whole, the posttest results had statistically significant differences with that of the pretest. In this regard, the quality of studentstranslation enhanced after using the specialized terminology in the form of three types of corpora. Indeed, there was a general trend in the improved quality of the novice translators in translating specialized and subject-field terminologies in an English–Persian context.

Originality/value

This paper is original in that it probes into one of the less researched areas of Translation Studies Research and employs corpora methodology.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 August 2022

Muneera Muftah

How closely does the translation match the meaning of the reference has always been a key aspect of any machine translation (MT) service. Therefore, the primary goal of this…

3937

Abstract

Purpose

How closely does the translation match the meaning of the reference has always been a key aspect of any machine translation (MT) service. Therefore, the primary goal of this research is to assess and compare translation adequacy in machine vs human translation (HT) from Arabic to English. The study looks into whether the MT product is adequate and more reliable than the HT. It also seeks to determine whether MT poses a real threat to professional Arabic–English translators.

Design/methodology/approach

Six different texts were chosen and translated from Arabic to English by two nonexpert undergraduate translation students as well as MT services, including Google Translate and Babylon Translation. The first system is free, whereas the second system is a fee-based service. Additionally, two expert translators developed a reference translation (RT) against which human and machine translations were compared and analyzed. Furthermore, the Sketch Engine software was utilized to examine the translations to determine if there is a significant difference between human and machine translations against the RT.

Findings

The findings indicated that when compared to the RT, there was no statistically significant difference between human and machine translations and that MTs were adequate translations. The human–machine relationship is mutually beneficial. However, MT will never be able to completely automated; rather, it will benefit rather than endanger humans. A translator who knows how to use MT will have an opportunity over those who are unfamiliar with the most up-to-date translation technology. As MTs improve, human translators may no longer be accurate translators, but rather editors and editing materials previously translated by machines.

Practical implications

The findings of this study provide valuable and practical implications for research in the field of MTs and for anyone interested in conducting MT research.

Originality/value

In general, this study is significant as it is a serious attempt at getting a better understanding of the efficiency of MT vs HT in translating the Arabic–English texts, and it will be beneficial for translators, students, educators as well as scholars in the field of translation.

Details

PSU Research Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2399-1747

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 October 2022

Dania Salamah

The current study set out to examine the recruitment practices and job-market readiness of translators in Saudi Arabia in light of the Process in the Acquisition of Translation

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Abstract

Purpose

The current study set out to examine the recruitment practices and job-market readiness of translators in Saudi Arabia in light of the Process in the Acquisition of Translation Competence and Evaluation (PACTE) model of translation competence (TC). The main purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which the outcomes of translator training programs are aligned with job-market requirements.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study was conducted adopting a mixed-methods research design to collect qualitative and quantitative data using interviews and a questionnaire. Data were also collected from the analysis of 28 translation job advertisements. The questionnaire targeted employers, while the interviews were conducted with employers and professional translators.

Findings

The findings indicate that there is a gap between the outcomes of translator training programs and the needs of the job market with a particular emphasis on the importance of developing trainee translators' job-market skills as well as their awareness of the professional practice of translation.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of the current study are limited to the sample from which data were collected.

Practical implications

The study has significant implications for translators and translator training in Saudi Arabia. Although the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission and the Saudi Translators' Association were established in 2020, additional measures are needed to support the translation profession in Saudi Arabia. Such support may take the form of specialised accreditation for translator training programs as well as licensing requirements for practitioners. Implementing these measures will play a significant role in establishing benchmarks for translator training programs and promoting the integration of job-market requirements into translator training.

Originality/value

Although TC has been examined in the Saudi context before, examining it in light of the PACTE framework sheds new light on the job-market readiness of translation program graduates and enriches the literature on the training of translators in Saudi Arabia.

Details

Saudi Journal of Language Studies, vol. 2 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2634-243X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 July 2019

Mehrdad Vasheghani Farahani, Omid Rezaei and Milad Masoomzadeh

This paper reports on a quasi-experimental research performed in the field of reading comprehension and translation quality. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper reports on a quasi-experimental research performed in the field of reading comprehension and translation quality. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the comparative effect of explicit vs implicit reading comprehension skills on translation quality of Iranian translation students at BA level.

Design/methodology/approach

The design of this research was quasi-experimental in nature. This design was preferred in this study, as it was impossible to assign random sampling to the subjects and apply a true experimental design. The research in hand was also a comparative group design research in a sense that it was supposed to compare two reading comprehension methods (explicit vs implicit) with different treatments.

Findings

In light of this research, some conclusions can be drawn. It can be concluded that there is a positive and direct relationship between reading comprehension and translation, as the first step of translation is to understand the content of the source text (Reid, 1993).

Research limitations/implications

The reading comprehension ability of translation students should be enhanced in their undergraduate classes so that they can better understand the source text and produce a more fluent translation. In order to teach reading comprehension skills, both implicit and explicit techniques can be applied; however, it is better if the subjects receive explicit instruction, as this technique may have more positive results.

Originality/value

Various researchers have explored explicit and implicit instructions on such areas as reading, speaking and listening (see, e.g. Jalilifar and Alipour, 2007; Vahid Dastjerdi and Shirzad, 2010; Negahi and Nouri, 2014; Khanbeiki and Abdolmanafi-Rokni, 2015; Khoii et al., 2015; Mostafavi and Vahdany 2016; Rahimi and Riasati, 2017). Although the results of these studies have shown the positive impacts of both explicit and implicit teaching, explicit has more positive impacts. However, the review of the literature shows that explicit and implicit reading comprehension skills have not been investigated in relation to teaching translation and their possible impacts on translation quality.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 November 2022

Muneera Muftah

Web-based language learning (WBLL) materials have long been favored by English language instructors because they are plentiful, easily accessible, user-friendly and, most…

Abstract

Purpose

Web-based language learning (WBLL) materials have long been favored by English language instructors because they are plentiful, easily accessible, user-friendly and, most importantly, free. This research looks into the effects of learning the simple perfect tense translation in three different English translation classes that used three different teaching methods: traditional face-to-face, integrative and web-based learning. It also aims to investigate the impact of gender on every mode of instruction and to identify the most effective method for learning translation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is quantitative, with a pretest/posttest quasi-experimental research design. A total of 93 third-year undergraduate students (51 female and 42 male students) participated in the pretest/posttest design. Each group was exposed to one mode of instruction for nine weeks. All groups sat for a pretest in the first week of the treatment. After the treatment, the participants were provided with a posttest, and the data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS computer software program.

Findings

The findings revealed a significant difference in both tests for all modes used. All three groups improved in their gain score, but the highest gain among these groups was the integrative method, followed by web-based learning. The result of the independent sample t-tests and ANOVA exhibited that there was no significant difference in the level of students between the two groups, both were sig. two-tailed (p = 0.342). Furthermore, it was discovered that gender did not affect students' performance in the posttest (Z = −1.564, p > 0.05) when each mode of instruction was applied. Finally, the integrative method was observed to be the most effective.

Practical implications

The findings can inspire translation course designers to plan necessary policies or syllabi regarding English translation courses and may serve as a platform for improving the curriculum for training and motivating the next generation of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners.

Originality/value

The findings of this study could be used to improve English instruction in countries where English is a second or foreign language. The actual gap in knowledge is that no other studies have compared all three groups in the past few years.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 15 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 October 2022

Carolyn Caffrey, Hannah Lee, Tessa Withorn, Maggie Clarke, Amalia Castañeda, Kendra Macomber, Kimberly M. Jackson, Jillian Eslami, Aric Haas, Thomas Philo, Elizabeth Galoozis, Wendolyn Vermeer, Anthony Andora and Katie Paris Kohn

This paper presents recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy. It provides an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of…

3621

Abstract

Purpose

This paper presents recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy. It provides an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering various library types, study populations and research contexts. The selected bibliography is useful to efficiently keep up with trends in library instruction for busy practitioners, library science students and those wishing to learn about information literacy in other contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

This article annotates 424 English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations, theses and reports on library instruction and information literacy published in 2021. The sources were selected from the EBSCO platform for Library, Information Science, and Technology Abstracts (LISTA), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Scopus, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and WorldCat, published in 2021 that included the terms “information literacy,” “library instruction,” or “information fluency” in the title, abstract or keywords. The sources were organized in Zotero. Annotations summarize the source, focusing on the findings or implications. Each source was categorized into one of seven pre-determined categories: K-12 Education, Children and Adolescents; Academic and Professional Programs; Everyday Life, Community, and the Workplace; Libraries and Health Information Literacy; Multiple Library Types; and Other Information Literacy Research and Theory.

Findings

The paper provides a brief description of 424 sources and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

Originality/value

The information may be used by librarians, researchers and anyone interested as a quick and comprehensive reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy within 2021.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 50 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 February 2021

Fauzilah Md Husain and Omer Hassan Ali Mahfoodh

This qualitative study examined English for Professionals students' experience of the internship programme and their perceptions of the relevance of the internship programme to…

Abstract

Purpose

This qualitative study examined English for Professionals students' experience of the internship programme and their perceptions of the relevance of the internship programme to their current and future courses and to their future career choices.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a qualitative inquiry in which qualitative data were collected using journal writing. Using purposeful sampling, 40 English for Professionals students in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) were selected. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

This study revealed that the internship programme was beneficial to interns because it helped them to gain real-world experience and knowledge about the environment of real workplace. Interns' negative experience can affect their career selection. The majority of the participants revealed that the internship programme is relevant to most of their undergraduate courses. The participants revealed that the internship programme was effective as it helped them to explore their career choices and to select future courses that match their interests.

Originality/value

Taking into account students' negative experience and their perceptions of the relevance of internship to their courses and career choices, improvement of undergraduate programmes can be done. Unlike samples in previous studies, the sample in this study is English for Professionals students. The study provides significant findings which are related to interns' perceptions of the relevance of the internship programme to their career choices. Unlike all data collection methods used in previous studies, journal writing was used to collect qualitative data in this study.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 11 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 May 2023

Muneera Muftah

Communication apprehension (CA) is the fear or anxiety about communicating. In addition, self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) refers to the learners' perception of their…

Abstract

Purpose

Communication apprehension (CA) is the fear or anxiety about communicating. In addition, self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) refers to the learners' perception of their competence. CA hampers individuals' ability to communicate effectively in various communication contexts, which has an impact on their employability. Confident communicators with effective communication skills are important issues for graduation as well as desirable attributes for recruiting agencies. Given that employers value graduates who can communicate effectively in the workplace without any apprehension, this study was designed to determine the levels of CA and SPCC among final-year non-English major undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia and the extent to which SPCC could affect their CA when speaking in English with implications for their employability as the next generation of workers.

Design/methodology/approach

Two survey questionnaires were administered to 70 non-English major undergraduate students in their final year employing probability random sampling to measure their CA level and to assess their SPCC in different English as foreign language (EFL) contexts. Pearson's correlation and linear regression analysis were used to investigate the relationship between CA and SPCC. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics in SPSS 21.

Findings

The findings indicated a medium level of SPCC and CA. Moreover, the correlation formula revealed that there was a moderately significant association between learners' SPCC and their CA (r (70) = −0.524, p < 0.01). Through regression analysis, it was found that their SPCC could predict 27% of the variance in their CA. The moderate effect of SPCC on CA implied that students could be prepared to cope and perform in the workplace.

Originality/value

Without communication, the establishment and evolution of the human community are unattainable. This aspect is more evident and crucial in the list of graduate objectives and needed outcomes for future career endeavors. The findings encourage instructors and course designers to provide many learning opportunities in pleasurable learning environments to raise students' perceptions of their competence, in turn enhancing their confidence to speak in English and ensuring a smooth transition from academia to the workplace. Based on the findings, several suggestions for future studies in the EFL context are presented.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 13 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 May 2021

Zakaryia Almahasees and Mutahar Qassem

The spread of Covid-19 has led to the closure of educational institutions worldwide, forcing academic institutions to find online platforms. The purpose of this paper is to…

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Abstract

Purpose

The spread of Covid-19 has led to the closure of educational institutions worldwide, forcing academic institutions to find online platforms. The purpose of this paper is to accelerate the development of the online learning (OL) environments within those institutions. The Covid-19 pandemic has unfolded the extent of the academic institutions' readiness to deal with such a crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

In this vein, the study aimed to identify the perception of translation instructors in teaching translation courses online during Covid-19, using a questionnaire to explore the strategies and challenges of teaching and assessing students' performance. The analysis revealed instructors' reliance on Zoom and Microsoft Teams in offering virtual classes and WhatsApp in communication with students outside the class.

Findings

The findings revealed the relative effectiveness of online education, but its efficacy is less than face-to-face learning according to the respondents' views. It was also found that students faced difficulties in OL, which lie in adapting to the online environment, lack of interaction and motivation and the deficiency of data connections. Even though online education could work as an aid during Covid-19, but it could not replace face-to-face instruction. Based on the findings, the study recommended blended learning. Combining online education with face-to-face instruction, i.e. face-to-face plus synchronous and asynchronous, would result in a rigorous OL environment.

Originality/value

The research is genuine and there is no conflict of interest.

Details

PSU Research Review, vol. 6 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2399-1747

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 3000