The Effectiveness of a Suggested Specific Course on Developing Third-year University Students‟ Skills in Translating Culture-specific Items

This study aimed at helping students to deal systematically and effectively with culture-specific items. This was treated through designing and applying a specific course based on sixteen strategies adopted from what Newmark(1988), Hariyanto (1997), and Harvey (2003) suggested. The course was designed in light of these strategies. It included different cultural topics with various cultural items in both English and Arabic. The course was applied in seven weeks to a sample of third-year university students at Al-Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University, College of Languages and Translation, during the first seven weeks of the second term. Students were asked to answer a pre-test on culture-specific items. The same test was distributed to students after the treatment, which was represented in teaching the specific course. A Wilcoxon test was used to compare students’ scores in each item and in the test as a whole. The results showed the effectiveness of using the specific course in developing third-year students’ skills in translating culture-specific items. However, the change that happened for students was not very high, as only one got an excellent degree, and just four got a very good degree. The percentage of unsuccessful students reached 25% and the percentage of students with a fair degree reached 40%. This reflected the fact that the time was not enough, as students needed more practice. In general, strategy teaching is very important, but it is not sufficient to create professional or good translators.

本研究旨在帮助学生系统且高效地处理文化专有项（culture-specific items）。本研究依托Newmark(1988)、Hariyanto(1997)与Harvey(2003)提出的16项策略，设计并开设了一门专门课程以开展相关教学实践，课程设计严格遵循上述策略框架。课程涵盖英语与阿拉伯语语境下的多元文化主题及各类文化专有项。本研究于第二学期前七周，在伊玛目·穆罕默德·本·沙特伊斯兰大学（Al-Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University）语言与翻译学院选取三年级本科生作为受试样本，开展了为期七周的教学实践。研究伊始，要求受试学生完成一份针对文化专有项的前测；在课程教学结束后，向同一受试群体发放同一份测试卷作为后测。本研究采用Wilcoxon检验（Wilcoxon test），对受试学生在各文化专有项及整体测试卷中的得分进行对比分析。结果显示，该专门课程对提升三年级本科生翻译文化专有项的技能具有一定效果，但学生的能力提升幅度较为有限：仅1名学生获得优秀评级，4名学生获得良好评级，不及格学生占比达25%，获得中等评级的学生占比为40%。这一结果反映出本次教学周期不足，受试学生仍需更多实操练习。总体而言，策略教学至关重要，但仅靠该教学方式不足以培养出专业或优秀的翻译人才。