The impact of an industry-driven translation training program on the performance of trainee translators

Abstract

This study reports on a quasi-experimental study on the effect of an industry-driven online translation training program on the translator trainees’ performance across five indicators: language, accuracy, terminology, style and clarity. A pretest-posttest design is employed to explore the effect of a 60-h online industry-driven translation training course on translator trainees’ performance on translating a journalistic article. Eighteen participants engaged in a translation task after and before the intervention, using articles from Newsela. The keylogging software records the trainee’s translations before and after the treatment, tracking the trainees’ product during the pretest and posttest of translating an English journalistic article into Arabic. The text’s translations are later assessed across five indicators: language, accuracy, terminology, style and clarity. Results reveal statistically significant differences between the pretest and posttest results, demonstrating the positive effect of an online translation training program on the trainees’ performance. Given the findings, the authors recommend utilization of industry-driven online translation training courses in translation training programs, considering the trainees’ needs on the one hand and translation competence on the other.

Keywords:

• Online translation training
• translation product
• English
• Arabic
• news article
• translator trainee

Reviewing Editor:

• Maria del Mar Sanchez Ramos, Modern Philology, University of Alcala de Henares: Universidad de Alcala de Henares, Alcala de Henares, Saudi Arabia

Subjects:

• Educational Research
• Education Studies
• Higher Education

1. Introduction

The primary goal of translation programs is to prepare translators for the translation industry. Using the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a case study, translation programs are offered across Saudi universities to qualify translation students for the labor market’s needs in various translation domains, such as journalistic translation, scientific translation and medical translation, among others. According to the Saudi Ministry of Labor, the translation industry in the Kingdom, particularly in the private sector, is growing. The number of certified translators and interpreters in the private sector increased to 9590 in 2015 from 9267 in 2013 (Saudi Ministry of Labor, 2015, cited in Al-Otaibi, 2015).

However, employment in the translation industry is generally ‘impacted by chance, opportunity, and changes in circumstance’ (King, 2017, p. 133). Additionally, studies examining the link between translation training programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the translation industry are scarce (e.g., Abu-ghararah, 2017). There is a crucial need to examine the effectiveness of such translation training programs in developing the trainees’ competencies for diagnosing the strengths and weaknesses of these programs and proposing necessary improvements.

This study aims to investigate the impact of a three-month, 60-h training course required for graduation at Saudi universities on the performance of trainee translators, specifically in the domain of news article translation. The focus will be on evaluating the effect of an extra online program on enhancing the performance of trainee translators when tasked with translating news articles from English to Arabic.

The significance of this research lies in its potential to contribute valuable insights into the efficacy of online translation training courses in translation training programs in the Kingdom. The findings could lead to recommendations for optimizing translation curriculum and training methods, particularly in the context of the growing needs of the translation industry. The selection of news articles for performance assessment aligns with the course’s emphasis on informative texts, media and journalistic articles. This study could also contribute to the broader field of translation studies by applying the classification proposed by Reiss (1970/2000), which categorizes texts into informative, expressive and vocative and by placing news articles within the realm of informative texts.

2. Literature review

This section delves into the main topics pertinent to the study’s theoretical framework, encompassing current literature and identified gaps in the field, translation competence, the application of keylogging data in analyzing translation products, methods of translation quality assessment and translation of news articles.

Generally, effective learning is defined as ‘the degree to which intended outcomes were attained’ (Huang et al., 2019, p. 95). Based on this definition, the effectiveness of a translation program can be defined as the extent to which online learning develops learners’ performance and behaviors. According to Kirkpatrick’s learning and training evaluation model, learning effectiveness is operationalized into four levels of criteria: reaction, learning, behavior and results (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). Extending this model to translation training, it is unclear how an industry-driven online translation training program influences the translation product. Therefore, the present study focuses on the results of Kirkpatrick’s model, measuring the degree to which translation quality, productivity, efficiency and other aspects of translation performance are improved post-training (Su et al., 2021). In particular, this study examines the effectiveness of an industry-driven online translation training program on translator performance in journalistic translation before and after training.

Studies on the effectiveness of translation training programs have been reported in several studies (Wu et al., 2019; Kodura, 2022; Morón & Calvo, 2018; Muftah, 2022; Qassem & Al Thowaini, 2024; Ssem, 2023; Su et al., 2021; Mohammed, 2022; Yang, 2015) from various standpoints. The first two studies, conducted in the Arab context, explored different aspects of translation training. Ssem & Al Thowaini (2023) studied the relationship between cognitive processes and translation quality, using Translog Software. They found a negative correlation between translation quality and certain translation processes (duration and online revision). Leveraging Translog, eye-tracking and questionnaires, Mohammed (2022) investigated the impact of using corpora on translation trainees’ performance when translating from English to Arabic and vice versa, revealing that trainees utilized a variety of corpora in their projects and exhibited positive attitudes toward improving their instrumental translation skills and the project-based training methodology.

Kodura (2022) examined the effectiveness of an online course in translation technology during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding the program effective and recommending specific applications of the training courses to enhance online course efficacy. Muftah (2022) studied the effect of traditional face-to-face, integrative and online courses on learning the simple perfect tense translation in three different modes, discovering that the integrative mode had the highest positive effect on trainees’ learning, followed by the online course. Gomaa et al. (2019) found that CAT tools can improve EFL trainees’ translation skills in legal translation using a face-to-face mode. Yang (2015) investigated the effect of online cooperative translation on EFL trainees’ interest levels and self-efficacy in specialized English translation, showing positive effects on student interest and self-efficacy. Su et al. (2021) reported on the effectiveness of fully online translation learning during COVID-19, finding it effective in achieving most stated goals for the translation course but lacking in interactivity. Morón and Calvo (2018) studied the effect of an innovative training project on translation-related transferable and specific skills, finding that integrating transcreation skills in a translator training context may help broaden and deepen the essential translator skillset.

Other studies have examined performance from different angles, such as revision, self-regulation, translation processes and strategic competence (Ehrensberger-Dow & Massey, 2013; Pietrzak, 2018; Vanroy et al., 2019; Yang & Wang, 2020). Yang and Wang (2020) found a positive relationship between revision and the quality of machine translation. Pietrzak (2018) observed a positive association between the translation process and product, noting that planning and performance control improved machine translation quality. Vanroy et al. (2019) identified a relationship between time, revision, gaze information, the number of errors, word translation entropy and syntactic equivalence. Ehrensberger-Dow and Massey (2013), in a longitudinal study, found that strategic acumen improved the caliber of translation.

Drawing on the existing literature, this study aims to investigate the effect of an online training course on students’ performance in translating journalistic articles from English to Arabic, an area scantily explored in translation research.

2.1. Translation competence

Translation competencies have emerged as a key focus within translation studies, encompassing a range of competencies such as linguistic, cultural, instrumental and strategic (King, 2017; Kiraly, 2012; PACTE, 2003, 2009, 2017; Plaza-Lara, 2016; Pym, 2004). Notably, PACTE has extensively explored these competencies, categorizing translation competence into bi-linguistic, extra-linguistic, instrumental, strategic, psycho-physiological and meta-knowledge of translation in a series of studies (2003, 2009, 2011, 2017). Other researchers like Kelly (2005) have proposed specific competencies, including interpersonal, subject area, attitudinal competence professionalization and instrumental competence. The pivotal question remains whether translation training programs effectively enhance these competencies in students, with various studies indicating a disparity between the training provided and the competencies demanded in the labor market (Al-Batineh & Bilali, 2017; Tiokou, 2019).

In their examination of university translation programs in the Middle East and corresponding job descriptions, Al-Batineh and Bilali (2017) identified significant gaps in professional and instrumental competencies. They observed that while half of the job descriptions specified skills in these areas, only a fraction of university courses addressed them. Similarly, a survey revealed that professional translators and interpreters rated their preparedness for the industry post-graduation at an average of 4.82 out of 10 (Tiokou, 2019).

The present study gives special attention to linguistic competence, viewed as foundational for mastering other translation competencies. The researchers will analyze five key indicators of linguistic competence: language, accuracy, terminology, style and clarity, presuming that robust linguistic competence is a prerequisite for developing additional translation skills. The critical role of linguistic competence in the translation process is underscored by scholars like Newmark (1988) and Nord (1991), who highlight its importance. Adequate linguistic competence is essential for trainee translators to effectively acquire and refine additional competencies necessary for successful translation.

2.2. Use of keylogging data in recording translation product

With the widespread availability of computers in the late 1990s, researchers began to conduct translation studies, using software (keylogging data software, eye-tracking device, functional magnetic resonance imaging) to examine the process and product of translation (Qassem, 2022; Ssem & Al Thowaini, 2023). The use of such tools ensures the accuracy and objectivity of collecting data. This study utilizes the features of Translog to record only the product of translation to explore the effectiveness of online translation training programs in the translator trainees’ translation output (translation score). The software could record the trainees’ translations showing, ST and TT on the software’s interface. See Figure 1.

Figure 1. The Translog interface.

2.3. Translation quality assessment

In assessing translation quality, it is essential to define the concept clearly, given the inherent ambiguity and variability in existing definitions (e.g. Campbell & Hale, 2003; Karoubi, 2016). Scholars such as Nida and Taber (1974), Catford (1965), House (1997), Toury (1995) and Chesterman (1997) contribute diverse perspectives, emphasizing factors like equivalence, reader understanding, purpose and adherence to source text (ST) functions (Karoubi, 2016; Qassem, 2020). Toury (1995) and Chesterman (1997) prioritize target language (TL) readership, asserting that translation quality aligns with TL readers’ understanding. In contrast, the Skopos model emphasizes the translator’s commitment to the intended function of the target text (TT), based on client communicative needs (Karoubi, 2016). Recent models stress meeting specific specifications, focusing on completeness, terminology consistency, grammatical correctness and adherence to style guides (Karoubi, 2016). These approaches shift from the translator’s perspective to that of the assessor, who evaluates the TT based on client standards, reflecting client expectations (Hansen, 2008). Accordingly, this study adopts five indicators of translation quality (language, accuracy, terminology, style and clarity), drawing on O’Brien (2012) and Hatim and Mason (2005).

2.4. Translation of news article

Over the past two decades, research methods in news article translation have varied, encompassing product-based, process-based, cultural, medium-based and reception studies (Valdeón, 2015). The translation of news articles gained popularity in Translation Studies during the 2000s, a field that had previously seen limited research in this area (Valdeón, 2015). Reiss (1971/2002) classifies texts into informative, expressive and vocative categories, with informative texts being non-fictional and focused on presenting information and facts. This study concentrates on informative news, or ‘hard news’ as termed by Valdeón (2015), falling under Reiss’ informative category in text functions typology. News articles are categorized by genre: ‘hard news’ aims to be factual and objective, while ‘soft news’ or human-interest stories emphasize the impact of events on people (Conway, 2015, p. 524). The year 2009 marked a significant increase in interest in news article translation, with Bielsa and Bassnett’s book ‘Translation in Global News’ being one of the pioneering works in this field (Bielsa & Bassnett, 2009). They explored the role of translation in news organizations and the concept of ‘domestication in translation’. Van Doorslaer (2010) further examined the nature of news article translation, describing it as a multifaceted journalistic task involving various steps from information gathering to editing. Holland (2013) noted that factors like time pressure, resource availability and linguistic constraints significantly affect the news translation process. Both journalistic and translation skills are essential for translating news articles effectively.

3. Research questions

This study, adopting a quasi-experimental design, aims to evaluate the impact of an industry-driven online translation training program on the performance of trainee translators in the domain of journalistic translation. The research is guided by the following questions:

1. To what extent does an online translation training program enhance the performance of translators in translating journalistic articles?

2. In what measures of translation quality could an online translation training program affect the translator trainees’ performance?

4. Methodology

The data used for the study are part of a large project that employed a single-sample experimental design (see Qassem & Al Thowaini, 2024). This design included pre-training and post-training translation tasks, an L2 proficiency test and a demographic background questionnaire. The study adopted a quasi-experimental approach, using a one-group pre-test and post-test assessment to investigate the effect of a three-month online training program on the trainees’ products (translation performance). Details on the experiment are provided in the following sections.

4.1. Participants

The participants for the study were 18 students enrolled in an English-Arabic translation program at a large Saudi university (N = 18). There are specific criteria for selecting the participants of the study to achieve the objective of the investigation:

1. They were graduates of the translation training programs, completing four years in the translation program.

2. They had a 60-h training course, which aims to expose the trainees to different translation genres, providing them with practical experience and skills in translation. The training course covered various aspects of translation, such as techniques, strategies and approaches specific to different genres or fields.

3. Each participant in the study received comprehensive information about the study’s nature, procedures and objectives. Following this, they voluntarily agreed to participate and signed a consent form, confirming their informed decision. This procedure adhered to ethical research standards, ensuring that all participants were well-informed.

4. Since language proficiency is a crucial factor in translation performance and quality, the study included a measurement of the participants’ L2 (second language) proficiency. To assess their English language proficiency, the researchers employed Brown’s Cloze test and a tool called LexTALE, which is a measure of vocabulary size and is commonly used to evaluate individuals’ vocabulary knowledge and overall proficiency in a second language (Lemhöfer & Broersma, 2012).

The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a three-month training course (60 h) on the trainee translator, ensuring the homogeneity of the group and controlling co-variables through the criteria set earlier.

4.2. Procedures of the study

The study followed certain procedures to conduct the quasi-experimental design, which helped ensure a systematic and standardized data collection and analysis approach.

4.2.1. Description of translation training program

The online training program, developed and supervised by a large private translation office, lasted for three months, from June to August 2020. It entailed 5 h of training each day. The program focused on exposing trainees to real-world tasks in translation, trans-creation and content localization across various domains through both individual and group-based collaborative activities.

At the program’s onset, trainees were randomly assigned to groups, each with a selected group leader. The group leader’s responsibilities included daily task assignments, task follow-up, project reviews and submissions. Criteria for selecting group leaders were either prior leadership roles (e.g., student club leadership) or experience in translation (e.g., freelance work).

Given the online nature of the training, all communications occurred virtually. Groups used Telegram or WhatsApp to create virtual spaces for enhanced collaboration. Program supervisors shared task details and assignments with all groups at pre-specified times, expecting submissions by day’s end. If a team member was absent, extra time was provided to complete tasks. Trainees received model translations for tasks and written electronic feedback from supervisors on their submissions.

Over 12 weeks, the program covered various collaborative and independent online tasks and translation domains. A breakdown of these tasks and domains is presented in Figure 2. The course emphasized informative texts in weeks 1–3, political and media news articles and reports in week 8 and history and culture in week 7. The authors observed that texts for non-profit organizations, focused on delivering information and facts accurately and clearly, are relevant to news articles’ features. Thus, they assessed trainees’ performance in translating a news article covered over five weeks of the course. This article integrated elements of informative text (weeks 1–3), history (World War, week 7) and political texts (week 8). Considering the novice status of the participants, the authors opted for general texts rather than specialized ones, aligning with the trainees’ competence level.

Figure 2. A breakdown of the tasks and domains covered during the training program.

The proposed prototype for an online translation training course spans 12 weeks, covering diverse domains such as informative texts, sports and religious texts, literary texts, history and culture and political and media texts. Each week focuses on specific translation tasks, content creation for various platforms and other activities such as workflow assessment, workshop proposal development and engaging with trainers for discussion of the contents of the courses. The learning methodology integrates interactive modules, multimedia elements, collaborative platforms and live sessions for a well-rounded and engaging online learning experience.

The training texts were chosen through a systematic process, ensuring their similarity to those typically handled by the translation office. The supervisory staff, working in the translation industry, selected texts based on industry demands. To mirror translators’ job roles in the industry, tasks included not only translation but also transcreation, content localization and administrative work.

4.2.2. Pre-test

The pre-test involved translating an English news article into Arabic. The article consisted of 170 words and 962 characters, excluding spaces (refer to Appendix). The text’s difficulty and readability were key considerations. The Coleman-Liau Index, used to evaluate the text’s readability, indicated a grade level of 14, aligning with university students’ level. The text was selected for its relevance to the trainees’ level and its embodiment of typical news article linguistic features. The data collection method was both appropriate and objective, utilizing Translog, a tool capable of recording the trainees’ translations. Translation specialists assessed the test’s suitability for the study’s objectives. Additionally, the participants received training in using Translog, which was used during the study to record their translations of journalistic texts. At the start and end of the program, participants were asked to translate the text using Translog. They were briefed on the task and text genre and instructed to avoid using machine translation or any auxiliary tools. The authors referred to O’Brien (2012) to develop a practical rubric for measuring trainees’ performance in translating news articles. This rubric was evaluated by referees to determine its suitability for the study and was also employed in Qassem and Al Thowaini (2024) when examining the Arabic data of the study. Following this assessment, modifications were made to the rubric in terms of weight and inclusion. See Table 1 for details.

Table 1. Rubric for assessment of the trainees’ translations.

Indicator	Definition	Score
Language	Grammar, syntax, spelling, punctuation	2
Accuracy	Does the translation accurately reflect the original text? unnecessary omissions, additions and inaccurate cross-references in their definitions	2
Terminology	adherence to client glossary, adherence to industry terminology, consistency	2
Clarity	Is the translation straightforward to understand?	2
Style:	Does the translation maintain the same style as the original text? Tone, register, language variants, slang, literal translations and awkward syntax	2
Total	10

Table 2. Descriptive statistics of pretest and posttest scores.

	N	Median	Mean	SD	Minimum	Maximum
Pretest	18	5.5000	5.2222	1.68228	2	8.00
Posttest	18	7.5000	7.2778	1.10457	4	9.00

Table 3. Negative and positive ranks.

Pretest & posttest		N	Mean ranks	Sum of ranks
Posttest – pretest	Negative ranks	1	7	7
	Positive ranks	14	8	113
	Ties	3
	Total	18

4.2.3. Post-test

The post-test included the same task used in the pre-test in which translation trainees translated an English news article from English to Arabic.

The authors implemented several procedures to mitigate the effect of using identical content for the pretest and posttest on the trainees’ performance in the post-test. First, they ensured a minimum testing interval of nine weeks between the pretest and posttest to minimize the testing effect. The appropriate interval for administering the pretest and post-test ranges from one month to six months. Moreover, the authors restricted the trainees’ access to the test materials and did not provide feedback on their performance in the pre-test. Finally, they also did not inform participants about the repetition of the same task in future tests. Importantly, the carryover effects of the pre-test were reported as one of the limitations of the study.

4.3. Data analysis

The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the before-and-after measurements of a single group, which helped determine whether an intervention significantly affected the translator trainees’ performance. This was done by assessing the median difference of ranks before and after the intervention, making it particularly useful when the paired differences do not follow a normal distribution and assessing whether their population median differs. Given the small sample size and the non-normal distribution of the pre- and post-training means, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was appropriately used to reveal the impact of an online translation training course on trainees’ performance. The authors adopted the null hypothesis – that there is no statistical significance between the pretest and posttest of journalistic translation (H0: W = 0 at α=.05).

This study used a computer-based translation task to collect the data, focusing on the product. The data were analyzed quantitatively using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 27). The appropriate statistical test for examining the effect of a pretest-posttest group is a paired sample t-test (Mellinger & Hanson, 2017). The test is used a pre-and post-test design, in which participants are measured before and after treatment. Due to the small sample, the authors used the Wilcoxon test, a counterpart to the paired t-test. The primary conceptual difference between the Wilcoxon test and the paired t-test is that it compares the median of the two groups rather than the mean (Mellinger & Hanson, 2017, p. 163).

4.4. Inter-rater reliability

Two experienced translation specialists assessed the trainees’ translations according to the following indicators: language, accuracy, terminology, clarity and style. Each indicator was given two scores. The authors assessed the degree of the raters’ agreement on assessing the trainees’ translation via Intra intra-class coefficient. The analysis revealed a moderate degree of reliability between the first-rater and second-rater of the pretest (ICC =. CC = .746, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from .444 to .896, p < .05) and a high degree of reliability between the first-rater and second-rater of the posttest (ICC = .955, with a 95% confidence interval extending from .786 to .986, p < .05).

5. Results

The first question of the study was about the differences in the trainees’ performance between the pretest and posttest scores. Findings revealed differences in the trainees’ performance on translating a news article before and after the treatment. The data indicates an improvement from the pretest to the posttest. The median score increased from 5.5000 in the pretest to 7.5000 in the posttest, suggesting a positive shift in performance. The increase in both the minimum and median scores further supports the overall improvement in performance. See Table 2 below.

In the Wilcoxon signed-rank test results, it was observed that the posttest ranks were higher than the pretest ranks. As shown in Table 4, the negative ranks indicate that one trainee’s posttest score was lower than their pretest score. In contrast, the positive ranks demonstrate that 14 trainees achieved higher scores in the posttest compared to the pretest. Additionally, three trainees obtained the same scores in both the pretest and posttest. See Table 3 below.

Table 4. Wilcoxon signed-rank test statistics.

Test	M	Mdn	SD	Z	p Value	R
Pretest	5.2222	5.5000	1.68228	3.028–	.002	.713
Posttest	7.2778	7.5000	1.10457

Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank indicated a difference in the translator trainees’ performance in translating news articles before and after the treatment. Analysis of results indicated the posttest scores are significantly higher after the treatment (Md= 7.5000, n = 18) compared to the pretest scores (Md = 5.5000, n = 18), z = −3.028, p < .05 with large effect size, r = 0.71, r. Accordingly, the null hypothesis was rejected, as revealed in Table 4.

Table 5. Descriptive statistics of assessment indicators before and after the treatment.

Indicator	Before	After
	Median	Median
Language	0000	1.0000
Accuracy	1.0000	2.0000
Terminology	1.0000	1.0000
Style	1.0000	2.0000
Clarity	2.0000	2.0000

The second question is, ‘In what measures could an online translation training program affect the translator trainees’ performance? Five indicators were used to assess the trainees’ translations across language, accuracy, terminology, style and clarity. The findings revealed that five indicators were improved after the treatment (language, accuracy, terminology, style and clarity) as shown in Table 5.

Table 6. Wilcoxon signed-rank Test Statistics.

Test	Z	p Value	R
Language before and after	−2.673	.008	0.63
Accuracy before and after	−2.530	.011	0.59
Terminology before and after	−1.933	.053	0.45
Style before and after	−3.000	.034	0.71
Clarity before and after	−2.121	.003	0.49

The Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed statistically significant differences in the performance of translator trainees in translating news articles before and after the intervention, across five measures: language, accuracy, terminology, style and clarity. The analysis of the results indicated a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores in language (z = −2.673, p < .05, r = 0.63), accuracy (z = −2.530, p < .05, r = 0.59), terminology (z = −1.933, p < .05, r = 0.45), style (z = −3.000, p < .05, r = 0.71) and clarity (z = −2.121, p < .05, r = 0.49). The ‘r’ values, representing the effect size, suggest a moderate to strong effect of the training program on the trainees’ performance improvements. Specifically, the strongest effects were observed in style (R = 0.71) and language (R = 0.63), indicating substantial improvements in these areas. The results suggest that the posttest scores were significantly higher than the pretest scores across all five assessment indicators of the trainees’ performance, as detailed in Table 6.

6. Discussion

The study aims to investigate the effect of the online translation training course on the trainees’ performance in translating journalistic texts. The quasi-experimental approach was used to measure the effect, taking the form a one group pretest-posttest design. The trainees’ performance was measured across five indicators: language, accuracy, terminology, style and clarity. Results indicated the significant effect of the online course on the trainees’ performance in the translation of news articles from English to Arabic across five indicators: language, accuracy, terminology, style and clarity.

6.1. The effect of an online training program

The impact of online courses on trainees’ performance is undeniably positive, with concrete evidence from their translated works providing further support. The acquisition of translation knowledge and skills through online courses directly influences the quality of trainees’ translations, underscoring the potential for online platforms to enhance overall performance. These findings are consistent with the research conducted by Kodura (2022), Gomaa et al. (2019) and Yang (2015), who have all established the efficacy of online training in improving trainees’ perceptions, beliefs, performance and interests. Furthermore, Su et al. (2021) have contributed to this body of evidence by demonstrating a positive correlation between online learning and participants’ attitudes toward full online translation. This suggests that these forms of online programs not only impact trainees’ practical skills but also influence their overall outlook on the field.

Similarly, Almahasees and Qassem (2021) have examined translation teachers’ perceptions of online learning in translation training. Despite the perceived limitations in terms of interactivity, these professionals maintain a positive view of online learning and even recommend a blended learning approach. In other words, translation educators recognize the value of online platforms, while also acknowledging their potential shortcomings

6.2. The effect of online translation training course on indicators of performance

The results of the study demonstrate a positive impact of the training course on various indicators of translation performance, including language proficiency, accuracy, terminology usage, style and clarity. The indicators of style, language and accuracy exhibited the most notable improvements among these indicators. The findings indicate that the training intervention effectively enhanced the trainees’ ability to produce translations with a more refined and appropriate style. It also positively influenced their command of the target language, leading to more accurate and linguistically sound translations. Moreover, the trainees demonstrated an improved understanding and utilization of specialized terminology, contributing to their translations’ overall quality. However, it is important to note that despite the improvements observed as a result of the intervention, the trainees’ performance still requires further enhancement. This need for continued progress and development is evident from the mean scores obtained in the posttest. These findings emphasize the effectiveness of the training course in addressing certain aspects of translation performance, particularly in terms of style, language and accuracy. Nonetheless, they also highlight the need for ongoing training and support to refine the trainees’ skills further and elevate their performance to a higher level. Additional interventions or follow-up programs may be beneficial in targeting specific areas of improvement and ensuring continued growth in the trainees’ translation abilities.

6.3. Problematic areas in the translator trainees’ performance in journalistic translation

The study’s findings highlight certain weaknesses in the performance of translator trainees, particularly in the areas of language proficiency, accuracy and style. These areas require specialized training as they play a crucial role in developing translators’ linguistic and communicative competence. Bi-linguistic competence is paramount as it empowers translators to effectively transfer meaning from the source language (SL) to the target language (TL). A thorough understanding of both languages enables translators to accurately transfer the intended message and maintain the integrity of the original text.

The issue of style presents a significant challenge in translation, necessitating focused training. Translators must develop the skills to effectively navigate the differences between the style of the source text (ST) and the desired style in the target text (TT). This requires a comprehensive understanding of the genre, audience and purpose of both the ST and TT. Incorporating style-focused training into translation programs and courses can significantly enhance trainees’ ability to produce translations that accurately capture the appropriate style and tone. Research conducted by Qassem (2022) identified accuracy and adequacy as problematic areas in the performance of translator trainees. The specific challenges presented by translating English news articles into Arabic were noted as clarity, accuracy, word choice and sentence length and terminology. Morón and Calvo (2018) emphasized the positive impact of a well-designed translation program on trainees’ performance. Their study demonstrated that a thoughtfully structured program improved the trainees’ transferable skills as well as their ability to handle specific tasks such as translating culturally-bound texts, localizing web content and proofreading and reviewing texts. This highlights the importance of carefully designing translation programs to optimize trainees’ development and enhance their overall performance.

In conclusion, the identified weaknesses in translator trainees’ performance, particularly in language, accuracy, style, clarity and terminology, necessitate targeted training interventions. Emphasizing these aspects in translation programs and courses, along with incorporating specialized modules for journalistic translation, can contribute to the trainees’ improvement and equip them with the necessary skills to excel in their profession. Additionally, a well-designed translation program can enhance trainees’ transferable skills and specific capabilities, enabling them to handle diverse translation tasks with competence and efficiency.

7. Conclusion

This study investigated the effect of an online translation training course on translator trainees’ performance in English-Arabic journalistic articles, using a quasi-experimental design. Translog software was utilized to record the translation process, ensuring accuracy and ecological validity, as most translators work on computers rather than on paper. The findings revealed low performance in accuracy, language, terminology, style and clarity among the trainees before the intervention. After the intervention, the students’ performance in these indicators improved. Despite this improvement, further development is still needed, particularly in language, style and accuracy. The students were able to apply their newfound knowledge and skills in translating articles from one language to another, showing a noticeable improvement in understanding the source material and communicating effectively in both languages. The course also provided them with opportunities to practice and enhance their translation skills. One limitation of the study is its focus on journalistic texts; therefore, the findings may not be generalizable to other text types or genres. Additionally, the study did not perform a qualitative analysis of the data or explore the trainees’ challenges and improvements post-intervention. Future studies are needed to specifically address these limitations, aiming to broaden the scope and deepen the understanding of this research area. Finally, the study utilized identical content for the pretest and post-tests, which may have influenced the trainees’ performance on the post-test. However, the study implemented several procedures to mitigate the potential effects of the similarity between the pretest and post-test content, as detailed in the method section.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, Ministry of Culture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under [101/2022] as part of the Arabic Observatory of Translation.

Notes on contributors

Buthainah M. Al Thowaini

Buthainah M. Al Thowaini is an Assistant Professor of Psycholinguistics at King Saud University. Al Thowaini’s research interests include language processing, language translation, L2 acquisition and the use of technology to inform language learning. Her research projects focus on using language processes to inform foreign language acquisition, instruction and translation. Al Thowaini’s latest articles was published in the Journal of Psycholinguistic Research and Education and Information Technologies.

Mutahar Qassem

Mutahar Qassem is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and Translation Studies at Najran University. His research interests are translation and culture and the technological perspective of translation. His research articles appear in Babel, Asia Pacific Translation and Cultural Studies, Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada, Journal of Psycholinguistics Research, Journal of Intercultural Communication Research and Education and Information Technologies.

Appendix

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Climate change: Government report warns of growing impact on US life

A new report from the federal government has an unmistakable message. The effects of climate change, including deadly wildfires, debilitating hurricanes and heat waves, are already harming the United States, and the danger of more disasters is worsening.

The report’s authors are from federal government agencies. They say they are more certain than ever that climate change poses a threat to Americans’ health and pocketbooks, as well as to the country’s natural resources. The report, released Friday, November 23, does not give recommendations to the government. However, the report’s sense of urgency contrasts with the lack of any clear plan from President Donald Trump to tackle the problems.

Already, coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea, Hawaii, Florida and the United States Pacific Ocean territories are experiencing damage. Wildfires are devouring ever-larger areas during longer fire seasons. Alaska is seeing a stunning rate of warming. Changes have turned its ecosystems upside down, from once ice-clogged coastlines to increasingly thawing tundras.