Abstract

The present cross-sectional empirical study investigates the different types of strategies and methods that the undergraduate students employ when translating from their native language into the target language and vice versa. The study was conducted on one hundred twenty, third and fourth year, students at the College of Science and Arts, King Khalid University. The data were collected through translation tasks and questionnaires. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze and interpret the data collected to achieve the objectives of this study. The study revealed valuable information. The most favored strategies by Arab college students were literal translation, free translation and word-for-word translation respectively. More than half of the all used strategies were literal translation with a percentage of about fifty-five. The mixed translation strategies were found to be about twenty one percent for all the three levels. Free translation strategy was only fourteen percent which is, somehow, a low percentage. The students showed considerable improvement as they progress from one level to a higher one. It is expected that translation instructors as well as course designers will reflect on the findings of this study by raising the learners’ awareness of the great differences between English and Arabic when teaching or designing translation courses. Parallel texts that include literal translation as well as free translation have to be included to show the deficiency and ungrammaticality of the texts produced when applying literal translation.

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