Identifying The Difficulties in Reading Comprehension: An Action Research of Translation Students in Saudi Arabia
Samman, Halah MohammadZain . 2007
Abstract
This research aims at identifying difficulties in reading comprehension faced by advanced translation students in the process of translation from English into Arabic. Results of the investigation will be used to provide advice on reading strategies for students of translation. Once the key factors causing these difficulties are clearly identified, a foundation for enhancing effective L2 reading will be established in order to enable teachers to adapt their instruction to the various needs of individual learners, and therefore achieve better instructional quality.
Based on an action research approach, this study was conducted in a major translation college in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Three instruments were chosen for this study; think-aloud protocols followed by semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to be filled by the participants in order to provide a deeper insight into the difficulties in reading faced by advanced translation students.
Results varied, but students’ struggle with difficulties revolving around vocabulary prevailed. The study concludes with a number of recommendations to enhance the teaching of reading to translation students, with particular reference to Arabic students learning English. The recommendations focus on a switch from bottom-up to interactive reading, improving metacognition, and extra-curricular reading.
The modern translation industry is using machine translation post-editing (MTPE) widely, and the translation industry in the Arab World is following the global lead.