Analysis of Errors in the Translation of Legal Texts from English into Kurdish

Authors

  • Dr. Vian Ibrahim Ali University of Duhok
  • Dr. Hakar Hazim Doski University of Duhok
  • Lect. Haneen Islam Saleem University of Duhok

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31973/pvagmw53

Keywords:

error analysis, legal translation, Na Pham (2015), translation students

Abstract

The translation of legal texts is often considered one of the most difficult types of translation due to the potential consequences of any misinterpretation. Translation students at the University of Duhok struggle with the subject of legal translation and make errors when translating legal documents from English into Kurdish for the absence of sufficient resources. For the lack of research in this area, this study investigates the types and frequencies of errors made by senior students at the Department of Translation in the University of Duhok to identify common translation errors and understand the challenges faced by students in this specialized field. By employing a mixed method, the study analyzes the errors found in 58 samples of a legal document translated from English into Kurdish. The study adopted Na Pham (2005) model for analyzing translation errors. The analysis of the data uncovered a total of 1272 errors. The errors were categorized into grammatical, syntactical, morphological, and collocational types. Grammatical errors were found to be the most frequent errors, constituting 49.89% of the total, with preposition misuse and case marker errors being the most dominant. Syntactical errors accounted for 22.01% and included missing verbs and incorrect word order. As representing 26.10% of the total, morphological errors were primarily represented by wrong word selection. Collocational errors were the least frequent type at 2.98%. This research aims to contribute to the improvement of the curriculum for the students through identifying the most common areas of weaknesses for students and educators. The study also calls for further research in this area to better understand the challenges and strategies for effective legal translation.

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Author Biographies

  • Dr. Vian Ibrahim Ali, University of Duhok

    Assistant Professor

    PhD in Kurdish Syntax

    Department of Kurdish

    University of Duhok

  • Dr. Hakar Hazim Doski, University of Duhok

    Lecturer

    PhD in Applied linguistics and Translation

    Department of Translation

    University of Duhok

  • Lect. Haneen Islam Saleem, University of Duhok

    Lecturer

    MA in English Language and Linguistics

    Department of Translation

    University of Duhok

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Published

2024-12-15

Issue

Section

English linguistics and literature

How to Cite

Ali, V., Doski, H., & Saleem, H. (2024). Analysis of Errors in the Translation of Legal Texts from English into Kurdish. Al-Adab Journal, 151, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.31973/pvagmw53

Publication Dates

Received

2024-07-08

Revised

2024-08-12

Accepted

2024-08-18

Published Online First

2024-12-15

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