The Challenges Facing Translation Students in Translating Sports Idiomatic Expressions from Arabic into English

Abstract

This study aims to examine the most commonly used strategies for translating sports idiomatic expressions from Arabic to English. It also aims to address the main difficulties faced by MA translation students when translating sports idiomatic expressions used in sports headlines from Arabic into English. Additionally, it aims to provide solutions and recommendations to overcome these problems. The sample for the study consisted of 40 MA translation students studying at the University of Jordan and Yarmouk University. The study collected data from sports headlines selected from Jordanian newspapers: Alghad, Alrai, and Aldustour, as well as electronic sports news sites such as Kooora and beIN Sport. Two research tools were used to collect the data: a translation test consisting of 15 sports idiomatic expressions and an interview. The study revealed that the most frequent strategy used was total equivalence/literal translation. Moreover, the study found that 58.17% of students provided incorrect translations. In conclusion, the study found that students faced numerous problems in translating Arabic sports idioms into English. These problems included limited knowledge of translation strategies, unfamiliarity with the characteristics of idioms, cultural differences, a tendency towards literal translation, unfamiliarity with sports idioms, and weak linguistic/pragmatic competence. The study also proposed solutions to overcome these problems and difficulties.