Abstract

This research paper is a process-oriented study that essentially focuses on the psychology (Mapping Theory) of the trainee translator by examining the use of some stylistic features and the interpretation of the Arabic discourse marker wa into English in news reports. The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which students of undergraduate translation courses at Princess Alia University College / Al-Balqaa' Applied University consult and are largely influenced by their SL native language (Arabic) in translating news reports into English (TL). The random sample of the study consists of (46) female students with similar linguistic, socio-cultural and educational backgrounds. Trainee students underwent a task of pre-test and post-test translation of a news report during the summer semester of the academic year 2013-2014. A three-step analytical model was applied in this study. The first step of the model involved segmenting the target text into paragraphs and sentences. The second step was the description of the functional relations that connect units of the target text at each level. The last step involved identifying the discourse markers at the boundaries of units. Obtained results revealed that students showed conspicuous bias towards Arabic (SL) in using some stylistic features and the discourse marker wa (and) as a safe strategy for linking sentences in English (TT), even though done improperly.

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