The Influence of Translation on the Arabic Language

Book excerpt: This book explores the influence of translation on the Arabic language, with particular emphasis on the translation of English idioms by journalists working at Arabic satellite TV stations, using a mixed-method approach (quantitative and qualitative). It begins from a belief that the impact of broadcast media on Arabic speakers is more instant, wider and farther-reaching than that caused or triggered by any other branch of mass media, as not all features of television appear in other media. The book focuses on idioms because of the difficulties associated with translating them, and also because the literature review revealed inadequacy in understanding this intriguing part of the development of the Arabic language. In contrast to other similar titles, the book examines the possible factors causing journalists to resort to idiom literalisation, including those relating to demographic characteristics. The main significance of this book is that it has practical implications for its potential audience, both practitioners and professional peers. It provides information to enable media translators and lexicographers to become more sensitive towards the logico-semantic relationships present in idiomatic expressions, and to improve their application of idiomatic expressions in their translations. Overall, the results presented here will serve to guide media translators and lexicographers’ choice in the usage of idioms to produce better quality translations and dictionaries. This insight is important not only to translators and lexicographers, but also to language teachers and students of translation. Pedagogically, the findings of the current book will encourage translation teachers to reconsider their strategies for teaching English idioms. Students of translation and English language learners in general will also benefit from the results of this book.