Pragmatic failure in Arabic-English translation: Evidence from Iraqi EFL learners
Keywords:
Pragmatic Failure, Speech Acts, Arabic–English Translation, EFL Learners, Pragmatic CompetenceAbstract
This study examines the pragmatic failure in Arabic–English translation among Iraqi EFL learners. It investigates whether these learners can translate Arabic speech-act expressions into pragmatically appropriate English equivalents. A total of sixty-six undergraduate students at the Faculty of Languages, University of Kufa, participated in this study. The data were gathered using a written translation test consisting of 20 Arabic utterances. These Arabic utterances included common speech acts such as requests, compliments, invitations, apologies, and advice. All responses were evaluated for how well they reflected pragmatic appropriateness. According to the study's results, Iraqi EFL learners were generally successful in translating conventionalized expressions such as apologies, compliments, and expressions of gratitude. However, Iraqi EFL learners showed a number of serious problems in expressing certain speech acts indirectly and in using politeness strategies. These speech acts include requests, refusals, and invitations. The majority of incorrect translations were due to many learners not following English conventions of indirectness and politeness and instead applying the conventions they had learned in Arabic to their English translations. The study highlights the need to develop learners’ pragmatic competence through instruction and translation training, thereby enabling them to produce successful translations that preserve communicative function rather than lexical equivalence.
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