Globalization and the Translation Industry in Saudi Arabia:
Factors Inhibiting the Use and Integration of Translation
Technology into Mainstream Coursework
Afnan Hussein Fatani
King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah
0
Introduction
Translation studies have witnessed unparalleled worldwide growth over the course of the last ten
years. Meanwhile, an increasing demand for staff with skills in information technology and
language engineering just cannot be satisfied. In fact, the world market in translation, already
thought to be worth in excess of £10 billion a year, barely satisfies a fraction of the demand
created by a global economy. This is why, according to the European-funded project LETRAC
(Language Engineering in the Translation Curricula), translator training and education is one of
the areas where curricula must be aligned with employers' requirements.
No doubt, the Saudi translation market is expanding enormously. Global factors have inevitably
affected not only the Saudi translation market but also the training required of professional
translators. The recent entry of Saudi Arabia into the World Trade Organization, the irreversible
globalization of Saudi businesses, the versified and large number of local sectors that have
recently entered into strategic partnerships with Microsoft, together with the internet revolution
have made translating and interpreting services a rapidly growing area with excellent
employment opportunities. Unfortunately, despite mammoth changes in the Saudi workplace and
despite the fact that all industrial companies now use sophisticated software and tools in all areas
of document production, including translation, these changes in the working environments have
not yet been fully reflected in the training of translators and technical writers at Saudi
universities. In order to ensure that their graduates are competitive in the professional
marketplace, universities must play an active role not only in evaluating and assessing emerging
technologies, but also in ensuring that appropriate instruction in the use of these technologies is
integrated into translation curriculum. According to researchers, the major challenge for
translator training centers and universities is to ‘naturalize’ machine translation tools by
integrating them into mainstream coursework (Diana 2004). This process is often long and
complex and requires the full involvement of teachers and researchers. University researchers are
academically obliged to provide imperial data that would aid in the advancement of the
translation profession and that would ensure that graduates are fully qualified to function in the
new globalized environment that is slowly revolutionizing the business world. This study is
therefore fully justified in that it seeks to address the huge gap that exists between the training of
translators at universities and the requirements of professional life.
This study presents the results of a market research project funded by King Abdul-Aziz
University in Jeddah which aimed at addressing the huge gap that exists between the training of
translators at Saudi universities and the requirements of professional life and to demonstrate how
language technology can be integrated into the translation curricula so that students are kept
abreast of the rapid developments in the translation profession.
It also seeks to reveal the factors inhibiting the use of translation technology tools in the Saudi
labour market, as well as the cultural factors hindering the integration of these advanced tools
into the translation curriculum in universities and colleges.
1
1- Official Statistics
It is hard to estimate accurately the number of interpreters and translators working in Saudi
Arabia since there is no official commercial register. Although the Jeddah Chamber of
Commerce issues a list of licensed translation offices in the Kingdom, this list is largely
inaccurate and therefore hardly reliable as a reference source. For example, many prominent
translation offices such as the Universal Summit Translation Center (USTC), for example, are
not listed even though they have an online presence, and many contact numbers are either
omitted or erroneous. This randomness makes it particularly difficult not only to evaluate the
impact of machine translation (MT) and computer-aided translation (CAT) on the activity of
professional translators, but also to improve the level of accurate information about the
advantages and disadvantages of these technologies. Prior to this study, no survey of the
Translation Industry in Saudi Arabia had been conducted. To date, the Saudi labour market’s
usage of translation, regardless of method (human or machine translation) had not yet been
measured. The interest of gaining information and feedback from leading Saudi companies is,
therefore, an important resource for completing the picture on where translation stands in our
market.
2- Training Programmes in Saudi Arabia
Translation training programmes exist in Saudi Arabia not in the form of independent
institutions, but in the form of university colleges (eg. King Saud University’s College of
Languages and Translation; King Khalid University’s College of Languages and Translation;
Imam Mohammad University’s College of Languages and Translation) or as courses
incorporated within English departments of universities (as in the case of King Abdul Aziz’s
Department of European Languages and Literature; Um Al-Qura University’s Department of
English Language and Literature; King Faisal University’s English Department; the English
Department at Prince Sultan University College for Women; University of Jubail’s English
Department; Effat College’s English Department; and the English departments at the Educational
Colleges for Girls). A more recently established translation training center is Rawafid
Corporate Training, which offers diplomas in applied translation and specialized courses in
various fields of translation such as translation technology, and legal, medical, and military
translation. Translation technology courses and computer application courses are offered in the
above mentioned universities but on a very limited scale. The translation programme at King
Saud University appears to be the most advanced in terms of computer-aided translation, offering
two courses on computer applications in translation as well as a newly established Translation
Centre geared to develop machine aids to translation, including a term bank and a computer
aided translation system. Al-Imam University and Prince Sultan University have both updated
their translation programmes and are now offering courses in machine translation using the
Trados system supplied by Rawafid Training Corporate. Labs have already been set up for this
purpose in both institutions with 90 workbenches installed in Imam Mohammad University and
45 in Prince Sultan University. A very promising programme is that of the University of Jubail’s
newly launched English Department which offers three up-to-date courses in translation, one of
which is an advanced Translation Technology course.
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3- Components of Translation Technology
Before we begin our survey of the translation industry in Saudi Arabia, it is best to first identify
the basic components of translation technology. In recent years, Western researchers have
succeeded in convincing the translation community that computer-based translation systems are
not rivals to human translators, but that they are aids to enable them to increase productivity in
technical translation or to provide means of translating material which no human translator has
ever attempted (Hutchins 2001:5). In this context scholars distinguish between (1) machine
translation (MT), which aims to undertake the whole translation process, but whose output must
be revised; (2) computer aids for translators (CAT), which support the professional translator;
and (3) translation systems for the occasional non- translator, which produce only rough versions
to aid comprehension (Hutchins 2001:5). According to researchers at FXM Language
Laboratories, this is often a source of confusion for the general public, where the terms
‘computer translation’ and ‘machine translation’ are used to describe both types of technology.
The two are in fact based on very different approaches.
Computer Aided Translation (CAT) – The SDL Trados System
CAT systems or Translation Memories (™) are designed to eliminate unnecessary human
intervention so as to save significant time and money without sacrificing quality. The most
sophisticated types of CAT software recognize segments that are approximately identical, and
alert the translator by marking the elements that differ from the memorized segment. This is the
most important tool today in the commercial field of translation. Especially where texts have a
high degree of repetition (change of modal or machine series etc), translation memories can save
a substantial amount of money and effort for individual translators and big companies. However,
they are not always simple to handle and certain amount of practical training has to be done
before students can acquire the basic skill. These have become just as familiar and commonplace
as word processing applications for translation agencies and translators (Mercier 2004).
Companies implementing a TM solution typically do so with an eye toward accomplishing one
of three objectives:
1- Improving consistency
2- Minimizing turnaround time
3- Reducing translation cost
There are basically four components to any computer-aided translation system:
1- Instant Translation.
A Machine Translation (MT) solution can enable the user to automatically translate any
sentence, paragraph or document from Arabic to English and vice versa using state-ofthe-art technology. It is a transfer-based MT engine that performs extensive analysis on
all linguistic levels—morphological, lexical, syntactic and semantic—with the aim to
understand the input text and hence resolve all kinds of ambiguities prior to translation.
2- Glossary of terms
Terminology databases, glossaries, and dictionaries (which are different words for the
same thing) are one of the core resources for any translator. This tool stores concepts and
their translations, including explanations and examples. They can be dynamically
3
integrated in the translation process by automating the look-up process. The glossary
provides a centralized, enterprise-specific terminology glossary. The contents of the
glossary can be searched and viewed by any user on the enterprise’s intranet.
Consistency checks guarantee that there is no repetition of any term in the glossary. The
translations of the terms added to the glossary are immediately used by the automatic
translation engine in subsequent operations.
3- Translation Memory
A translation memory is a database of aligned source and target language sentences.
During automatic translation, if a sentence subject to translation was found in the
translation memory, the system will automatically use the target sentence from there. The
administrator can create, add, delete and update the translation memories. From a TM
you can thus retrieve segments which you have already translated and use them for the
current translation. The main functions of a TM are to save time and to streamline
translations in order to avoid inconsistencies.
4- Keywords Extractor
A ‘Keywords Extractor’ analyzes a document, and identifies its individual text phrases
and key data items automatically. It helps identify important information within high
volumes of content, then intelligently extracting the most valuable details. Keywords help
classify the document in a user defined subject tree for easy browsing and access to
information. It helps cross-link documents to each other in a dynamic way, and reduces
the time needed to search for its content. The Keyword Extractor engine provides users
with the ability to quickly access individual features and phrases for use in creation of
custom text summaries, information classification, or other text mining activities
4- Saudi Industries & Translation Technologies
In today’s consumer world, time-to-market can be a key competitive advantage and hence
companies cannot afford to allow existing translation processes to introduce too many delays. In
addition, poor quality translation and consistency can lead to poor communications with
consumers and potentially damage the company’s brand.
Companies constantly need to satisfy increasing demands from the business. With a growing
product range, expansion into new markets and an increasing range of communication channels,
many companies are faced with hugely complex multilingual content management challenges.
New products need to be launched simultaneously across all markets in order for manufacturing,
marketing and sales to operate as efficiently as possible. Market studies have revealed that it is
important for industries to have a centralized, controlled and efficient process in order to deal
with translation. Such a process has been vital for reducing costs, accelerating time-to-market
and improving the quality of translated content.
The recent entry of Saudi Arabia into the World Trade Organization, the irreversible
globalization of Saudi business, the establishment of economic cities in many parts of the
kingdom, the diversified and large number of sectors that have recently entered into strategic
partnership with Microsoft, together with the internet revolution and further European integration
and expansion of the European Union to the East, have made translating and interpreting services
4
a rapidly growing area in Saudi Arabia with excellent employment opportunities for trained
interpreters. International, national, and local organizations, corporations, banks, government
agencies, industrial enterprises, hospitals, the courts, the military, and the many other institutions
that constitute global societies are beginning to rely on the services of translators and interpreters
to communicate with each other and with their clients and constituents. Increase in information
and speed of delivery has brought information overload (glut or clutter) and obliged the use of
Translation Technology (TT) in some leading Saudi organizations, namely Aramco, the Saudi
Electricity Company, the Shoura Council, and the Islamic Development Bank. All four
organizations, it should be noted, are large multinational companies that need to facilitate
communications problems between employees speaking different languages. Their success
stories will undoubtedly lead to the introduction of TT in other Saudi businesses and to the
greater use of the technology in the local marketplace. In essence, it is these Saudi success stores
that justify the aims of this project to analyze the new working environment and to address the
major obstacles hindering the greater commercial use of Translation Technologies.
In order to assess the importance of translation technology for the Saudi market, it seems best to
first identify the Saudi institutions that have made the changeover to translation technology and
to survey the benefits recorded by company management which include an increase in
consistency, the shortening of time-to-market and a reduction costs by as much as 40%. The
most prominent of these institutions are the following: the Saudi Electricity Company (Sceco),
Aramco, Al-Shoura Council, and the Islamic Development Bank. By looking at these new
applications of Translation Technology clear trends can be established. Based on lessons learned
in these environments, we can outline specific criteria to use when evaluating the integration of
translation technologies into university curriculum. However, it is important to caution that
incorporating an MT system impacts upon both the translation process and the personnel
involved. There are consequences for system administrators and support staff but above all for
the translators themselves whose tasks will change significantly. Whereas before they had
probably spent the major part of their time actually translating or human translations, they will
now find themselves spending a lot of time updating the system’s terminology, and proofreading
the results of machine translation. Translators will definitely need to receive training in order to
perform these tasks adequately. As researchers have noted, it is important that the personnel
support the changeover to TT. They might not always be aware of the fact that TT can lead to
more job satisfaction among translators since TT systems can translate the tedious, repetitive
tasks and allow human translators to tackle the more challenging translation works. Researchers
offer the following words of warning: if translators in an organization have decided for some
reason or other that they do not want to work with TT, imposing it on them is guaranteed to
produce poor results (Hutchins 2001).
5- Related Literature
There are a number of empirical studies that are important to our survey of the translation
industry in Saudi Arabia and the integrating of translation technologies into the curriculum. The
most relevant are the following:
1-A study by Reima Al-Jarf at King Saud University entitled ‘Unemployed Female Translators
in Saudi Arabia: Causes and Solutions.’ Although this study addresses female translators, the
results and recommendation apply equally to male translators in the Kingdom. One must also
5
emphasize that female graduates of English departments are much more proficient tin the
language than their male counterparts. This fact suggests that if female translators have been
found to be lacking in translation skills, the implication is that male translators must by necessity
be even more inadequate. The study found that 90% of female Saudi translators who graduated
between 1990 and 1996 were not working as translators. Of 130 female translators who
graduated between 1991 and 1996, only about 10% were found to work as translators. Although
translation jobs are available in hospitals, translation bureaus, and embassies, many graduates
find the jobs open for women unsuitable because of working conditions, stringent qualifications,
staff policies, salaries and benefits. Others disliked the nature of the work and cited insufficient
information about employment opportunities, lack of motivation, and familial, social, and
cultural factors as reasons for unemployment. Tables 1 and 2 (see Appendix) show that most of
the academic qualifications and skills required for the employment of translators by the private
and public sectors do not match those of female graduates. One must also assume that these
qualifications are also lacking in male Saudi graduates since the curriculum in translation studies
is the same for both male and female students. A percentage of 84 stated that hospitals and
embassies, for instance, require specialization in medical and diplomatic translation, as well as
an ability to translate simultaneously (88%), two skills that are hardly addressed in the Saudi
curriculum. Another 73% stated that translation bureaus require the ability to translate texts in
different fields.
Table 2 reveals that female graduates feel they are not sufficiently prepared for the translation
labour market: 89% stated they had difficulty with simultaneous translation because they took
only one course in their preparation programme and are insufficiently trained. Since the
translation programme is general, 84% feel they are inadequately prepared for medical or
diplomatic translation. Written translation is difficult for 39%; 21% have difficulty with
English/Arabic translation, and 14% find the texts they are required to translate difficult.
Findings reveal that 80% feel they are not proficient in English; 30% feel that translation work is
too strenuous; 27% feel that they can not meet deadlines; and 14% feel that the texts for
translation are too difficult.
This study is important in that it completely exposes the inadequacy of translation training in
Saudi universities and highlights the huge gap that exists between academic training and the
requirements of the professional world. To major factors are revealed to be crucial in today’s
labour market, the importance of specialization and the growing need for interpreting skills. It is
important to note that translation technology skills are not highlighted in this study due to the
fact that the informants were not employed or seeking to be employed in institutions that have
adopted translation technology systems.
2- A brief overview of Machine Translation in Saudi Arabia by Mahmoud Esma'il Sieny, a
prominent researcher at the Translation Centre at King Saud University and previously in charge
of its MT programme. This study, written in the early 1990’s, is important in that it highlights the
inexplicable aversion to translation technology that has been prevalent among many Saudi
educators and institutions since the 1980s. Although Seiny does not provide us with any reasons
behind the negative attitude towards MT prevalent in Saudi Arabia, his study provides us with a
much needed historical perspective and a first-hand account of the frustrations encountered by
researchers advocating the use of MT. It also reinforces the hypothesis that hitherto
6
undocumented cultural and academic misconceptions have been blocking advancements in the
field of translation technologies.
3- A scholarly study of curriculum development in the translation field by Sheal (1989). The
importance of this investigation is that it clearly delineates the interface between translator
training and market needs, and provides interesting and practical means of integrating the two.
According to Sheal, in curriculum development, there are three essential steps which one must
follow in order:
1) Identifying market needs
In order to put together an effective training programme for preparing, or creating, an efficient
translator, one must consider the demands of the market. Sheal argues that ‘the market for
translation is ultimately determined by available technology,’ and therefore a professional
translator ‘should physically possess basic computer technology,’ not only to be able to work
with geographically distant clients, but also to be able to access various data banks and
information sources. He concludes that a translator, without this invaluable tool, will not survive
as a professional for long. Besides covering specialization and familiarity with basic electronic
tools, translator training programmes should be more vocational and less academic in nature in
order to offer the students real-life scenarios. An adequate translation programme should cover
certain aspects of the profession, as it gives the student a clear idea about what should be
expected from him upon graduation. Students need some sort of market orientation. The
programme must provide them with hands-on experience before graduation.
2) Identifying student needs
Stern and Payment argue that if the instructor disregards the needs of students, their previous
knowledge about the topic or their developmental needs, the success of the course will be
threatened. The consequences will be:

Training content is inappropriate and poorly received by the [students].

[The instructor] misses the opportunity to connect with the [students].

Materials are too basic or too advanced.

Communication breakdown occurs.

[The instructor] loses credibility." (Stern and Payment 1995, 70)
Therefore, the course ought to integrate both the broad objectives of the curriculum and the
personal needs of the students.
3) Preparing students for changes in the labour market
What has changed in the labour market is that an overwhelming variety of markets exist today
(as opposed to 20 years ago). This is reflected in the contents of translator-training programmes
with courses on legal translation, commercial translation, financial translation, subtitling,
multimedia translation, localization, translating using voice recognition systems, etc. The issue
seems to be how to offer the students most of the above skills, at least at some decent level of
specialization. In all probability, any of the markets they choose will require them, one way or
other, to actually localize, subtitle, translate, rewrite, and revise, and so on. Today, we do not
simply have to train people to become translators: we also have to train them to become
7
terminologists, technical writers (or co-writers), language engineers, project managers, and much
more. As Gouadec argues:
‘Translators should be trained at university, not simply taught at university, and then
trained on the job. This is because the university is the only place where people have the
time and willingness to insist on proper methodologies and strategies whereas on-the-job
activities are much too sensitive to the pressures of time-to-market, productivity, and
economic survival. It is essential that anyone entering the job market be properly armed
to withstand unreasonable influences.’
The best training institutions are the ones with a lot of technology (students' workbenches,
software packages, specialist teachers, maintenance crews, etc.), since students' future
employment (in services, firms or organizations) and indeed survival (as free-lancers) is closely
linked to technology. The following translation technologies are essential in any programme:
terminology, electronic tools (i.e. workbenches and Translation Memories), and market-coaching
on how to get clients and contracts, to set up business, to get a job, to write out an estimate, and
so on).
4- An informative and highly relevant Translation Memory survey conducted by Alan Wheatley,
General Secretary of ITI, the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, as part of a mandate by a
new EU-funded project under the Leonardo da Vinci II programme. The project promises to
create a freely accessible repository of data for training translators in the use of translation tools.
Wheatley’s survey is important in that it identifies the factors that both motive and inhibit the use
of TM or TT tools, as well as views on training in the use of translation tools and accessibility of
training. Although conducted in England and other EU countries, the findings of the survey can
apply equally to the Saudi market.
To summarize Wheatley’s results, when respondents were asked what factors motivated the use
of TM tools, the breakdown was as follows:
Figure 1. Perception of TM
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As for factors inhibiting the use of TT, according to Wheatley’s survey, the majority of
respondents (51%) cited the initial cost. Other factors cited include the following: 39% of TT
users have found it difficult to learn managing and merging memories. Thirty-two percent had
problems configuring appropriate memory settings, while 27% cited glossary export/import
to/from other systems. These factors are summarized in the following figure:
Figure 2. Factors Inhibiting Use of TT Tools
As for views on training in the use of translation tools, 54% of respondents said that they were
self-taught. Twelve percent had received classroom training by an independent trainer. Only 3%
were university-taught.
On accessibility of training, 49% thought it too expensive, 36% said it was not available locally,
and 6% said that instruction was too complicated. (See Figure 3 below).
Figure 3. Accessibility of Training
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6- Materials and Methods
In order to achieve project objectives, this study is divided into two interrelated sections each
with its own subset of methodologies and results. These sections are as follows:
1. Training and assessment of Translation Technologies.
2. Attitudes/misconceptions and obstacles hindering the use of Translation
Technologies and their integration into university translation curriculum.
It is hoped that this two-part division will offer a more specialized and comprehensive overview
of the translation industry in Saudi Arabia. The aim is to provide interested researchers with the
empirical data needed to address the huge gap that exists between the training of translators and
the requirements of the profession, as well as to help them identify the core reasons behind much
of the low-quality translation output in Saudi Arabia. A basic premise underlying this study is
that the integration of translation technologies into university curricula will help raise the
standards of translator training and hopefully reverse the general process of decline that we have
been steadily witnessing in the field of translation studies.
7- Section 1- Training and Assessment of Translation Technologies
This section involves a practical training component as well as a pedagogical endeavor to
identify the Translation Technologies that best address labour market requirements, i.e. a welldefined set of technology components which can be integrated into a university course for
translators. A total of 13 employees and staff members at King Abdul-Aziz University
specialized in different disciplines were selected to attend a two-week training course in the SDL
Trados system, one of the most popular Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) software. A
Research Questionnaire was developed for the purpose of assessing the Trados system in terms
of productivity, quality of output, speed and level of difficulty. (See Appendix p.46). The design
of the questionnaire was also guided by the need to ascertain employee attitudes towards
Machine Translation, as well as the level of personnel support for changeover to Machine
Translation.
The subjects
The 13 subjects who participated in this project were all employees at King Abdul-Aziz
University from five different disciplines and specializations, namely: linguistics, translation,
French literature, computer science, and business/accounting. Of these 13 participants, there
were three linguistics majors, four computer science majors, four accounting and business
majors, one French literature major, and one linguistics/translation major. Their level of English
was advanced except for the two from accounting that had an average command of the language.
None had taken computer-aided translation courses before. They had all done some form of
translation before, but this was the first time they had the opportunity to translate, to create
glossaries, extract dictionaries, to edit and to produce accurate Source Language–Target
Language alignments using the Trados system.
Instruction Procedure
Instruction was provided by Trados and their local agents Rawafid Corporate Training for a total
of 35 hours. It was administered at King Abdul-Aziz University, in the computer labs of King
Fahd Medical Center. The teaching procedure began with a general introduction highlighting
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how to use Trados, and then continued with the specifics of the four basic components of the
system: Terminology Management, Machine Translation, WinAllign or visual alignment of
Source Text and Target Text, and Keyword Extraction. Plenty of time was devoted to hands-on
practical application. In the final phase, the instructor showed trainees TL and SL alignments that
were displayed on the Trados WinAlign interface for editing. Students edited the alignments, and
identified varied modes of translation equivalence.
Trados Installation at KAU
The Trados system was installed in four sectors at KAU; the Office of the Dean of Women’s
Section where three of the training participants worked; the IT Department, the DistanceLearning Department, the Faculty of Arts & Science. It is hoped that once Trados is installed in
the main university server, this will further enhance the field of computer-aided translation in
general by creating and generating more job opportunities for students. Use of the server should
encourage staff members to share translated documents and glossaries, as well as to enable them
to collaborate on larger and more complex translation projects.
The Questionnaire-based Survey
After implemented the Trados system for five-hour sessions in sequence for a total of seven
days, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted. Research objectives were used to design a
questionnaire that consisted of 15 questions; seven fixed-alternative questions, six scalequestions and two multiple-choice questions. The questions were more or less evenly distributed
under three categories: subjects awareness of the marketplace in translation technology, their
assessment of the quality of translation output at King Abdul-Aziz University, their attitude
towards grammatical mistakes in Arabic-English translations, their receptiveness to translation
technology, their English language skills, their computer skills, their translation skills, their
frequency of translations, and their attitude towards performing translation projects. All
questions attempt to probe the effectiveness of the training, as well as to probe obstacles
hindering the use of translation technology in the university workforce.
8- Section 2 - Attitudes/misconceptions and obstacles hindering the use of Translation
Technologies
Some of the attitudes towards Translation Technologies were already identified in the previous
sections through the use of the Trados Research Questionnaire. To further determine attitudes,
the researcher drew heavily upon personal experiences and findings from previous research on
misconceptions regarding the aims of translation, and from heated discussions at translation
conferences in Abha (King Khalid University 2005) and Lebanon (Arab Thought Foundation
2005); in addition to failed attempts at executing a technology-based post-graduate Diploma in
Translation and Interpretation at King Abdul-Aziz University. Identifying negativity towards
Machine Translation was a novel and challenging experience. It involved probing two cultures
and two linguistic backgrounds, English and Arabic. It started with personal contact and
explorations of attitudes, beliefs, and motives to forge an overall picture of the root causes
behind the deeply entrenched aversion to the use of Translation Technologies not only by many
educators but by translators themselves. Finally, this section will also identify the academic
institutions in Saudi Arabia that offer translation training and those that have started to integrate
the Trados system into their curricula.
9- Results of Translation Technology Training and Research Questionnaire
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At the end of the training course in Trados, a total of 13 subjects filled out the questionnaires.
The results were as follows:
General Computer and English Language Skills
Eighty-four percent rated their computer competency as ‘very good.’ Only one subject (7.07%)
rated it as ‘somewhat poor’ and one rated it as ‘average.’
Sixty-nine percent rated their English language skills as ‘somewhat good,’ 15.38% rated it as
‘very good’, and 15.38% as ‘average.’
Results of the fixed-alternative questions & one multiple choice question
The total number of responses under each category and the total percentages were calculated.
Tables 1-3 show the results of student responses to these questions.
Table 1: Statistics on Subject Responses to the Questions Concerning their
receptiveness to TT
Agree
Not Sure
Disagree
Resp.
Percent
Resp.
Percent
Resp.
Percent
1. TT will harm
human translation
jobs
13
100%
0
0%
0
0%
2. TT will improve
quality of ArabicEnglish
11
84.61%
1
7.07%
1
7.07%
3. TT is too
complicated and
difficult for employees
to use
2
15.38%
1
7.07%
10
70.76%
Multiple Choice
Question
4. Willingness to use
TT at work
Accept
Refuse
Resp
Percent
Resp.
Percent
12
92.30%
1
7.07%
Table 1 indicates that almost all subjects were highly receptive to the use of TT and believed that
it would improve the quality of translation output. Surprisingly, subjects who thought Trados too
complicated for use at the workforce were computer science majors and business majors who
exhibited very good computer and English language skills. However both indicated that they
were ‘forced’ to translate documents at work (Question 1 in the questionnaire) and they did not
12
find the experience very rewarding (Question 2). This might possibly be one reason way they
were averse to the implementation of TT in the workforce. It might also be that they were
skeptical of the computer skills of university staff in general and hence their perception that TT
was too difficult and complicated for usage. Even more important is the fact that although they
did possess good English language skills they were not sure that they were qualified to work as
translators. In general, this indicates the tendency at work to give translation projects to any
employee with a somewhat good command of the English language regardless of his/her
specialization. This phenomenon of course will hinder the successful implementation of TT since
success depends on personnel support of the change to TT. One must keep in mind that both
subjects who described Trados as being difficult were not translation or language majors and
appeared to hate translation in general whether computer-aided or human. We must assume that
had they been interested in translation as a profession they might have been more aware of the
fact that TT can lead to more job satisfaction among translators since it is particularly efficient at
tedious, repetitive tasks, giving the translator time for more challenging translations.
Table 2: Statistics on Responses to the Questions Concerning Poor Quality ArabicEnglish Translations at the Workforce
Strongly
Agree
Mildly
Agree
Undecided
R
%
R
%
R
1.It is acceptable to
make grammatical
mistakes in ArabicEnglish translations
2
15.38
2
15.38
2.Employees must
speak out against
poor quality
translation at
workforce
0
0%
7
53.89
Very Bad Somewhat Bad
3. Assessment of
quality of ArabicEnglish translation at
workplace.
Mildly
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
%
R
%
R
%
2
15.38
2
15.38
5
37.61
2
15.38
4
30.76
0
0%
Average
Somewhat Very Good
Good
R
%
R
%
R
%
R
%
R
%
0
0%
2
15.38
4
30.76
6
37.61
1
7.07
Table 2 shows that more than half of the subjects believed that there should be no grammatical
mistakes in English-Arabic translations. However, a significant percentage (30%) found it
13
acceptable to commit these mistakes because English was not their native language. Another
30% were undecided. This cultural misconception is the major reason why employees do not
speak out against poor quality translations at work, a fact reflected in the negative and undecided
responses to Question 2. It seems to be part of a more deep-rooted and general misconception
that native speakers of the language will genuinely applaud efforts to use their language even if
the output is riddled with serious grammatical mistakes. One must also keep in mind the social
factors behind not speaking out, namely the desire not to hurt the feelings of colleagues and
peers or to make them lose face as well as a fear of reprisal directed against employees critical of
the job performance of staff members. The high percentage of positive assessment of ArabicEnglish translation undertaken at work suggests a sense of loyalty to workplace, a desire not to
badmouth or deliberately undermine university departments. This is especially true given the fact
that the level of English skills, whether of students or employees, is generally known to be poor
and the reasons behind the deficiency have been extensively discussed by university
administration in an attempt to correct the overall level of English language proficiency. We
must, therefore assume that Q3 was not answered honestly but in a more courteous manner,
despite the fact that all questionnaires were anonymous.
Table 3: Statistics on Responses to the Question Concerning Awareness of the TT
Marketplace
Yes
No
Resp.
Percent
Resp.
Percent
5
37.61%
8
62. 39%
1. Do you know of any
companies that use TT.
Table 3 indicates that subjects are not aware of the growing marketplace in TT. Major companies
like Aramco or Saudi Electricity Company (Sceco) all use the Trados system. Quite surprising is
the fact that almost all the computer majors answered negatively to this question. This would
seem to reinforce their apparent disinterest in the field of translation in general.
Table 4: Statistics on Perceived Frequency of TT Use
1. How often do you think you
will use this programme
Frequently
Sometimes
R
%
R
%
R
%
3
23.07
9
69.15
1
7.07%
Never
Table 4 revealed that a majority of students, the significant percentage of 69.15% believed that
they would only use the Trados system ‘sometimes’. This percentage included all the accounting
and business majors and computer majors who were somehow forced or asked to do translation
jobs at work even though they were not interested in the task. One subject specializing in
14
computer science was quite sure that she would never use the system. Again this points to the
fact that computer majors are not interested in the field of computer-aided translations even
though many computer specialists are seeking to specialize in the field since the marketplace is
showing a preference for computer majors in lieu of language or literature majors. Those who
answered ‘frequently’ to this question were literature and translation majors. Contrary to
expectations, two of the linguists did not believe they would be using the programme frequently.
They were also not sure whether they were qualified as translators or not (Question 5 in the
questionnaire). They rated their work in translation as being ‘neutral’ rather than ‘rewarding’
(Question 2 in the questionnaire). This can only lead us to the conclusion that translation as a
discipline is viewed by many as being remote from linguistics, even though the two fields are
quite firmly intertwined. There is also a perceived sense that translators are somewhat inferior in
social/academic status than linguists, a view which is quite common in the Arab world and the
subject of much discussion in seminars and symposiums.
10- Results of Attitudes/Misconceptions Hindering Translation Technology
Results of telephone interviews and questionnaires reveal that the core reasons behind poor
translations and aversion to Translation Technology are strangely intertwined. The problem
appears to be much more than poor computer and English language skills on the part of
translators. A number of entrenched misconceptions have been identified that are deemed to be
much more damaging than any academic deficiencies. These have to do with a latent hostility
towards the English language which is deemed to be the language of heathens, the belief that
only Arabic should be the medium of instruction in all disciplines, and the idea that Saudi culture
and religious values will be jeopardized by the introduction of disciplines that rely heavily on the
English language. These cultural misconceptions are further discussed in the conclusion of this
study.
In addition to high maintenance costs and inaccessibility of training, there are four other major
obstacles hindering the introduction of MT: (1) the notion that translation is a means of learning
English, (2) negative attitudes towards Translation Technology, (3) an indifference of
administrators to market needs, and (4) the lack of computer literacy among graduates.
1. Translation as a Means of Learning English
One of the more serious attitudes hindering the progress of translation studies is the belief that
translation is a means of learning English or any foreign language. Many Saudi instructors and
administrators erroneously believe that the basic aim of a translation curriculum is to enhance
students’ basic language skills such as speaking and writing. They thus see no reason to
introduce technology since they believe this will hinder the acquisition of language skills. As the
argument goes, it is acceptable to commit all sorts of grammatical mistakes in any target text
simply because it is not the translator’s native language. It is not that the translator is deliberately
careless but that he/she cannot comprehend the concept that distorting the target language is
viewed by the receiving community as an offensive and unacceptable practice. The profusion of
category 3 scores (out of a scale of 4) in numerous English renderings by Arab translators makes
it evident that many not aiming for accurate and aesthetic transfer from source to target text, but
that they are simply translating for the sake of gaining fluency in the target language. In cases
where the source text is of a religious nature, the impression is that translators are undertaking
15
the task in the firm conviction that they are performing a religious duty for which they will earn
the blessings of God.
Even more damaging is the mistaken idea that the life of a professional translator does not entail
teamwork and that all that he/she needs is a dictionary and a word-processor. In reality, major
translation projects are undertaken as a team effort, with a single set of documents often being
translated simultaneously into several languages with the aid of shared electronic resources and
translation tools.
At present, there is a sort of ‘inefficiency’ model operative in the Saudi translation community; a
model that is primarily conceived upon distorted and outdated conceptions about the aims of the
translation profession. In order to correct this misconceptions and provide a more efficient model
of translation, we need to promote not only the basic tenet that to be a translator requires a good
knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of both source and target language but also to
promote the idea that translation is not an end in itself but only a means to an end. In other
words, one needs to highlight the following interrelated concepts:
1. The concept that translation is much more than a technique; it is an exchange of
information, a communication between people of a different culture and language.
2. The concepts of ‘receiving community’ or ‘audience’ which play so crucial a part
in translation theory.
2. Negative Attitudes towards Translation Technology
It is clear from our survey of Saudi universities that there is a general reluctance and perhaps
even aversion to introducing translation technologies. Students of translation have not been
introduced to the most important advances which have been made in software design in recent
years nor have they been provided with the ability to deal with modern high tech tools in the
workplace of tomorrow such as on-line dictionaries, desk-top publishing systems and website
automation technologies, and to become familiar with the commercial implications of these
tools. Fear of MT appears to be strongest in the Saudi community where there is a basic lack of
computer literacy among many educators and professional translators alike. It is basically these
educators in the field of translation who are blocking the introduction of technology courses for
fear of losing face, appearing incompetent, or perhaps even losing their jobs. Translation, they
insist, is an ‘art’ which cannot possibly be reconciled with the machine. What is needed to
introduce translation technology is obviously a more open-minded and proactive attitude. Most
important, we need to make educators realize that machines are not a threat to their livelihood
but in fact a means of enhancing their career possibilities. Right now, it appears that we are in a
deadlock, a kind of vicious circle exists: many translators and even language teachers are
refusing to integrate technology fearing loss of jobs, educators in decision-making positions are
in turn empathizing with them. Consequently, all programmes that include extensive translation
technology are immediately scrapped. This is complicated by the administrative fact that all new
programmes need to be endorsed by the academic departments themselves – and so even if,
theoretically speaking, the president of the university were to himself propose a hi-tech
translation programme, he would still need to get approval from the English Department.
3. Indifference of University Administrators to Market Needs
16
Many leading educators fail to recognize that a large number of graduates from the BA and
Masters in Linguistics and Translation Studies follow careers in related fields such as publishing,
broadcasting or IT where they may take up such positions as technical writers, terminologists or
lexicographers, sub-captioners, proof-readers, desk-top publishing specialists, software
localizers, or project managers, performing tasks such as building dictionaries and writing rules
for parsing. They are also unfamiliar with the various types of tools currently used in the
marketplace (such as machine translation, translation memory, on-line dictionaries, desktop
publishing systems and website automation technologies), nor are they aware of the underlying
technologies of these tools and their commercial and business implications. In part, this failure to
identify the needs of the marketplace and to design curriculum to meet them has contributed to
misconceptions about translation technology and its implication for the professional translator. It
has also led to the erroneous assumption that technology is merely an added though unnecessary
feature rather than a major component essential to student success in the new global marketplace
emerging in Saudi Arabia.
4. Lack of Computer Literacy
A fourth important obstacle to the introduction of translation technologies is the fact that most
undergraduate and graduate students do not possess basic computer literacy and familiarity with
PC computers and MS Windows environments; they are not conversant with word processing
concepts and operations nor are they able to interact with the Internet. This is obviously a major
deficiency since, as with other professions, computers are an essential tool for translators. Not
only does the professional translator rely on the personal computer for word processing, desktop
publishing, and glossary databases, but in-house translators work on networks that feature
computer aids such as glossary management and translation software. Translators who work with
machine translation software must become adept at the pre- and post-editing that such
programmes require. One must stress that language engineering courses are not meant to teach
students basic word processing skills. Students should have gained these skills either in highschool or in introductory college courses.
According to the European Commission-funded LETRAC project (Language Engineering in the
Translation Curricula), in addition to word-processing skills, the market survey of the
professional environment has given strong evidence to the observation that today’s translators
are frequently required to work with Desk Top Publishing (DTP) -processed documents. They
must be able to handle different applications designed for professional layout purposes. Even
though they are not meant to design material of professional layout from scratch, they should
nevertheless be able to modify text and graphics received in DTP-processed form. Framemaker,
Pagemaker, Quarkexpress, Ventura and the like, are different DTP tools. Another common
requirement in the modern translation environment is the ability to handle graphical programmes
like Corel, Draw, Photoshop, Paint and Presentation software like PowerPoint. Information and
terminology retrieval via internet is also a common prerequisite not only of the general workflow
but in the in the age of technology as a whole, just like email has become a most common means
of communication. Translation instructors do not teach student telecommunication skills; their
job involves helping students make optimal use of resources available on the web which are
relevant to the translator, and introducing them to Websites that are central for translators such as
online glossaries and databases like Euterpe, Celex.
11- Discussion and Implications
17
One of the major implications of our findings is that translation is not being singled out or
recognized as a knowledge-based industry such as the information technology and
communication services. SAGIA, for example, has identified three potential investment areas,
the energy sector, information technology and transportation. More recently, a number of sectors
have also entered into strategic partnerships with Microsoft, where 14 business agreement
covering broad areas of investment. Unfortunately, Translation Technology was not included in
the initiative, despite the huge potential and the large marketplace in translation.
Undoubtedly, this indifference to the translation industry is related to the shortage of key talent
in the field. One cannot deny that many of the licensed translation agencies in the kingdom are
rather crude. No translation software is used, and in many cases translators are still searching
for terms in a dictionary instead of having online access to a term bank. In many private and
public sectors, translation projects are being performed by bi-lingual’s rather than trained
professional translators. One main reason for this is not only the poor quality of Saudi
translators but also the fact that specialization now plays a major role in the translation
industry. Since translators are not always trained in the various fields of translation such as
legal, banking, commercial, technical and industrial, most companies prefer to deal with fluent
bi-lingual rather than translators.
In contrast to the global market, we find that the translation technology in Saudi Arabia has not
as yet started to become established on a commercial scale, nor has some familiarity with
translation technology become a standard part of the training of a professional translator. In
addition, translator’s salaries are well below the salary scales of highly trained professionals.
Students of translation departments in almost all Saudi academic institutions have not been
given a chance to use TT software, or to experience a number of translation-related roles, such
as those of terminologist and project manager. It must also be noted that Saudi Arabia has not
made an effort to ensure the availability of examinations and certification systems for
translators in all specializations.
The results of the Trados questionnaire revealed students' positive attitude toward the
implementation of translation technology. Following is a summary of the significant implications
behind the findings of this survey.
1. The Technology-assisted Approach to the Teaching of Translation
The results of the questionnaire indicated that more than half of respondents agreed that the
Trados system was effective and would improve the quality of Arabic-English translation.
However, we noted that few students thought that the system was too complicated and difficult
for employees to use. In addition, these respondents were not aware of the use of TT in the
marketplace. Even though they thought mistakes in grammar were unacceptable in ArabicEnglish translation, they nevertheless saw no need to openly speak out against poor quality
translations by colleagues. In general, they did not think that conventional or human translation
was more/less rewarding technology-assisted translation. These results implied that the use of
technology to translate cannot be regarded as a method of enhancing the appreciation or interest
in translation; neither can it be accepted as a more rewarding way of learning translation.
However, we cannot overlook the fact that the subjects had reached a consensus that the Trados
system of translation was more effective than conventional translation since it would greatly
improve the quality of Arabic-English output if implemented.
2. Affective contribution
18
More than half of the respondents (69.15%) did not think that translation was a rewarding
experience. Only one respondent described the process as being very rewarding. This revealed
that in the technology-assisted translation environment, the human element still plays a
significant role and we cannot overlook the role that passion and emotion plays in the discipline.
Computer specialists were simply not motivated to use the system on a personal level, nor were
they interested in the various components of the Trados system (i.e. memory systems,
terminology management, and WinAllign), even though it was much easier and faster for them to
grasp the fundamentals of the programme than it was for respondents from other disciplines.
3. Translation Curriculum Development
As researchers have pointed out (Gabr, 2000; Zenger and Hargis, 1982), when we evaluate a
training course, we actually evaluate its effectiveness, i.e. we measure the achievement of its
objectives. The problem with the various translation courses offered in Saudi Arabia is that they
are not carefully evaluated on a regular basis. What happens in reality is that educational
institutions hardly pay attention to translation course evaluation; in fact the evaluation step is
never considered at all. No attempt is made to measure effectiveness or student reaction and as a
result no decisions are ever made about the relevance of the course to market needs, ways of
improving course content and instructor performance, or whether the course should be
discontinued or not.
Translation course evaluation is not done for several reasons. First, there is a tendency to assume
that ‘(a translation) training (course), being a form of education, is a good thing and therefore its
evaluation is not necessary’ (Sheal, 1990). Moreover, those involved in translation course design
and implementation may tend to be afraid of criticism or even of the assumption that they could
be replaced in case it is established that the course is not effective. They may also assume that
they fulfilled their evaluation responsibility in their pre-course phase. Their reasoning is that they
would not prepare a course that they did not think was going to work. Another reason is that the
evaluation process itself is complex and requires time, effort, and expertise (Gabr, 2000).
12. Attitudes Hindering the Integration of TT
 General Assessment of Attitudes
Saudis identify Arabic as the chosen language, for it is the language of the Quran. For them, the
Arab language is not just beautiful and complete, but also the key to a correct and pious approach
to life. Consequently, there is a strong subconscious cultural resistance to opening oneself to
another language. This is one reason why educators refuse to introduce the English language in
elementary schools and insist that students should only start learning it after they are in complete
command of their mother tongue, i.e. at the intermediate level (Grade 7). Many educators are
upset at the fact that Saudi colleges of medicine and engineering are offering instruction only in
English. This they feel is a violation of the Arabic language, and they are calling for all
textbooks in both disciplines to be translated into Arabic and for Arabic to be the only medium
of instruction. They scoff at all attempts to argue that advancements in these specialized fields
occur in Western countries and are documented in English, and that translators cannot possibly
keep abreast of rapid changes in these sciences. We also find that although many Saudi
researchers and academics are trying to promote the use of the English Language, especially in
international seminars and conferences, they are constantly being publicly criticized for daring to
use English in a paper or research rather than their native Arabic tongue. As many researchers
and ESL teachers have correctly pointed out, Arabs see English as a strictly utilitarian vehicle to
19
attain their goals. The position of English today is simply that of a ‘trader’ language as was
Latin.
 A General Mood of Disdain
In the West, there is today a general mood of optimism that prevails in Machine Translation as
more and more people are finding that the benefits of Machine Translation outweigh the
disadvantages. In contrast to the West, the general mood regarding Machine Translation in Saudi
Arabia today is not encouraging. The prevailing attitude is that the system is very limited in the
kind of data it could handle. The output of machine translation is deemed to be crude, full of
errors, and requires so much human post-editing that it would be more expensive than having a
human translator carry out the whole process in the first place. In general, the prevailing
impression is that human translation is faster, more accurate and less expensive than MT and that
no support for MT should be provided whatsoever. Cultural aversion to the extensive use of the
English language in schools and universities, and the fear that a new cultural colonialism is
threatening Saudi or Arab societies are further contributing to this negativity towards MT. Errors
in translation can be seen in many Saudi consumer-oriented texts such as public notices,
information leaflets and tourist brochures. A notice board in a well-known Jeddah beach resort,
for example, posted the following warning near the swimming pool:
WARNING
1-NOT ALLOWED FOR CHILDREN WITHOUT ACCOMPANY
2-BE AWARE DEEP AREA
3-TAKE SHOWER AFTER FINISH SWIMMING
4-PLEASE USE CHAIR WITH RIGHT WAY
MANAGEMENT ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY RISK
‫تعليمات عامة‬
‫ عدم نزول األطفال دون مرافقين‬-1
‫ المنطقة عميقة جدا نرجو تواخي الحذر‬-2
‫الرجاء اإلستحمام يعد الخروج من البحر‬-3
‫الرجاء إستخدام الكراسي بطريقة صحيحة‬-4
‫اإلدارة غير مسئولة على من يخالف هذه التعليمات‬
Obviously, the English warning is riddled with grammatical and lexical error and cannot simply
be considered a case of bad calque, i.e. an expression that consists of English words and respects
English syntax, but is unidiomatic in English, because it is modeled on the structure of an Arabic
expression. For example, ‘Children must not swim without accompany’ is an ungrammatical
rendition of the more idiomatic ‘Children must be accompanied by an adult.’ A puzzling
example occurs in sentence 3: ‘Take Shower after finish swimming.’ It would have been more
appropriate for the Arabic notice to simply follow the customary wording used worldwide in
swimming pool areas: ‘To shower before entering the pool,’ since the purpose behind this
particular instruction is to make sure pool-users shower ‘before’ entering the pool and not ‘after’.
However, apparently the Arabic equivalent confused the translator since it instructed pool users
to shower after swimming in the ‘beach’ and not after swimming in the pool. As explained
earlier, these errors are part of the general cultural attitude prevalent in Saudi Arabia which
deems it acceptable for people with no command of the English language to translate from
Arabic into English, and which deems it acceptable for serious grammatical errors in English to
occur in any written text. .
13. Conclusions and Recommendations
The wealth of information collected from our questionnaires and Wheatley’s survey of the
translation market in the US is calculated to provide valuable pointers to the needs of various
user groups, whether translators or researchers, thus enabling academic institutions to structure
the translation curriculum more effectively. In summary, we find that although the majority of
20
translators consider their technology skills to be good or a least adequate, they are reluctant to
venture into the world of TM. The results of the survey suggest, as Wheatley explains, that this
may be caused by difficulties in acquiring knowledge, of availability, of appropriate tools and
training. There seems to be a tendency to expect professional organizations to provide
information and assistance. This again points to a lack of awareness by translators and a lack of
foresight from the professional institutes. It is significant to note that only 3% of respondents in
Wheatley’s survey (conducted in 2003) were university-trained, a fact which suggests that
training has not as yet gained sufficient momentum even in Western universities.
The question remains of how much technology should be introduced. According to recent
recommendations published by the European funded-Commission, translation technology should
not take up more than 10% of the total amount of hours of an average translation curriculum. In a
two-year 60 credit hour postgraduate degree, for example, only four courses should be
integrated, each worth three credit hours and covering the major computer-based translation
technology which has been transforming the way in which professional translators work;
assuming of course that students are given the basic word-processing and DTP skills in a
separate one-year preparatory programme. Through a combination of theoretical, languagespecific modules, these translation technology courses must aim to introduce participants to the
wide range of knowledge, skills and methodologies necessary for researching and producing
high-quality translations of a technical, specialist nature. Students must gain extensive hands-on
experience with machine translation, translation memory, software localization and terminology
management systems. It is highly imperative that instructors work closely with the specialist
software providers and other industry partners to ensure that courses possess the maximum of
professional relevance. Courses must be specifically designed not only to give students a chance
to use the software ‘for real’, but also to enable them to experience a number of translationrelated roles, such as those of terminologist, proof-reader, desk-top publishing specialist and
even project manager.
To conclude, one must reiterate the fact that there is a lay approach to translation in Saudi
Arabia. It is deemed acceptable to commit all sorts of grave errors on both the lexical and
syntactical level. There also appears to be a lackadaisical mentality among educators towards the
necessity of English language graduates possessing a good command of the language before they
are issued degrees in translation or linguistics. Saudi translators are still using a dictionary-based
strategy, i.e. translations are done in a roughly word-by-word basis with no attempt to adopt a
more communicative strategy or to address the Western audience of their translations. This is
probably due to the prevailing environment which views the English language as a negative force
attempting to corrupt the minds of our youth, as the language of heretics and heathens
responsible for all the ills of the community. Although government regulations seem to regulate
the profession, no attempt has been made to ensure the availability of examinations and
certification systems for translators in all specializations. The only criteria specified for obtaining
a translator’s license is a BA degree in English or any other discipline where the medium of
instruction is English, and six years of experience in the field. In essence, translation in the
country tends to involve bestowing licenses to translators with very poor language skills. This is
mainly a result of the inability of English Departments in all Saudi universities to raise the
language level of their students. A number of factors can be given as reasons, foremost among
them being the fact that students are only introduced to the English language at the intermediate
level and are taught by instructors who themselves are not proficient in the language, and also by
21
the fact that all entrance exams to the English Department which used to ensure that students
possess the basic requirements needed to succeed in the English department were mysteriously
cancelled by university administrators. Despite warnings from English language instructors that
this would jeopardize academic standards, the usual pretext offered is that students with poor
English skills must be given a chance to perfect their language skills and that English
Departments must not be allowed to become an elitists community that cater only to students that
have been exposed to Western culture and are fluent in the language. Another excuse often cited
is that high school graduates from Saudi universities can never be expected to have a good
command of the English language and that therefore universities must learn to be more realistic
and to cope with the poor level of English proficiency generated by the Saudi school system.
22
References
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4. Dickens, J. (2005). Thinking Arabic Translation. London: Routledge
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www.fut.es/~apym/symp/gouadec.html"
9. Hutchins, J. (2001) ‘Machine translation and human translation: in competition or in
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11. LETRAC: ‘Language engineering in the translation curricula.’ Available online.
12. Mossop, B. 2000. What Should Be Taught at Translation School? From International
Symposium on Innovation in Translator and Interpreter Training.
www.fut.es/~apym/symp/gouadec.html"
13. Nida, E. A. (1964) Toward a Science of Translating. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
14. Pym, A. 1998. On the Market as a Factor in the Training of Translators.
www.fut.es/~apym/market.html
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16. Sheal, P.R. (1990). How to Develop and Present Staff Training Courses, London: Kogan
Page Limited.
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Plunge! Training and Development Journal, 36, (1), 11 - 16.
23
APPENDIX
Research Questionnaire
 Degree
 Specialization ________________________________
1. Have you or anyone in your department ever been asked or forced to
translate documents?
Yes _______________________________________
No ________________________________________
2. If you have engaged in translation work, how would you rate the
experience?
Very
rewarding
Somewhat
rewarding
Neutral
Somewhat
unrewarding
Very
unrewarding
3. How would you rate your English language skills?
very poor
Somewhat
poor
average
Somewhat
good
very good
4. How would you rate your computer (IT) skills?
very poor
Somewhat
poor
average
Somewhat
good
5. Do you think you are qualified to work as a translator?
Yes ________________________________
No _________________________________
24
very good
Not sure _____________________________
6. What do you honestly think of the quality of Arabic-English translation in
your workplace?
very bad
somewhat
bad
somewhat
good
average
very good
7. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is acceptable to
make grammatical or semantic errors whilst translating from Arabic into
English because English is not our native language?
Strongly
agree
Mildly
agree
Undecided
Mildly
disagree
Strongly
disagree
8. Do you think machine translation is harmful to human translators because it
will make them lose their jobs?
Yes _____________________________
No ______________________________
Not sure __________________________
9. If a machine translation system (Trados) is implemented at any Saudi
organization or institution like KAU, for example, do you think it will
improve the quality of Arabic-English translation?
Yes ______________________________________
No ______________________________________
Not sure __________________________________
10. If you were asked at work to translate using a computer aided translation
system, would you:
a. Refuse to use the programme.
b. Refuse and try to explain to your immediate supervisors that you are not
qualified to translate.
c. Refuse and try to explain to your immediate supervisors that the programme
is too difficult.
d. Refuse because you might be forced to do all the translation jobs
e. Accept and try to translate as best you can.
25
f.
g.
h.
i.
Accept but complain that it is not your job to translate.
Accept because you like to try new programmes.
Accept because you don’t want to lose your job.
Other ___________________________________
11. Do you know of any companies or institutions in Saudi Arabia that use
translation technologies?
Yes ____________________________
No ____________________________
12. How often do you think you will use this translation programme in your
work?
Frequently _____________________
Sometimes _____________________
Never _________________________
13. Do you think this programme is very complicated and much too difficult for
employees to use in their translation work?
Yes ___________________________
No ___________________________
Not sure _______________________
14. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement. To the extent
possible, employees have an obligation to speak out against poor quality
translation from Arabic into English being done by their colleagues at work.
Strongly
agree
Mildly
agree
Undecided
Mildly
disagree
Strongly
disagree
15. Are most of the translation jobs at your workplace done by:
a. Professional translators who have a degree in Translation Studies
b. Any employee who is fluent in English
c. Any employee with a degree in English Literature or Linguistics
d. Any employee who has the time regardless of his/her translation skills.
e. Any employee who has some knowledge of the English language
f. Any university professor depending on the field/specialization of the
document needed to be translated.
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g. Translation jobs are mostly outsourced (given) to translation agencies.
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