Problematic Issues in Translating Southern Bedouin Jordanian Arabic Idioms into English

Mheel AL-Smaihyeen and Dr. Ibrahem Bani Abdo
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Mheel AL-Smaihyeen: Faculty of Foreign Languages, English Language and Literature, University of Jordan, Jordan
Dr. Ibrahem Bani Abdo: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Foreign Languages, English Language and Literature, University of Jordan, Jordan

Journal of Social Sciences (COES&RJ-JSS), 2018, vol. 7, issue 4, 366-376

Abstract: This study explores the problems facing English Language and Literature students at Al- Hussein Bin Talal University in translating Arabic language idioms used by Arabic Jordanian Bedouin speakers into English. This study is a qualitative research included 20 Jordanian senior level students of the English department at the University of Al- Hussein Bin Talal. A list of 14 Arabic Jordanian southern Bedouin idioms used in this study. The participants were asked to translate these 14 idioms. These 14 idioms were asked to be translated by the 20 participants. Then, their answers were collected and analyzed and categorized into different types of translations (lateral translation, meaning translation, irrelevant translation, no translation at all) according to (Alousque 2009; Basalamah 2010; Bani Abdo 2016; Alkhuli 2009; Abbasi 2012; Newmark 1981; Meryem 2009; Al-Shawi 2012; and Yowelly and Lataiwish 2000). The test was located at the University of Al- Hussein Bin Talal which is located at the southern part of Jordan. The findings reveal that cultural differences between both languages (Arabic and English) consider as the main obstacles which face the English students’ major when they translate Arabic Jordanian southern Bedouin idioms into English language. The appropriate pragmatic and semantic equivalents were also difficult to be found in the target language (English) by the 20 participants. Finally, the stylistics issues also are crucial in translating Jordanian idioms into English language.

Keywords: Translation; Arabic idioms; Pragmatics level; Semantics level; stylistics. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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