Issues and Problems in Translating Yemeni Agricultural Terms into English by MA Translation Students

The present study aimed to describe the linguistic and cultural challenges facing the translation of Yemeni agricultural terms from Arabic into English, identify the strategy or strategies adopted in translating such terms, and explore the reasons behind such challenges. This was achieved through adopting a descriptive approach and by collecting quantitative and qualitative data. In this study, the sample consisted of 73 participants selected from several universities, which were Sana’a University, Yemen Academy for Graduate Studies, University of Science and Technology, Hajjah University, and other universities. Identifying the linguistic and cultural challenges was done through a translation test, whereas the translation strategies and the reasons for such challenges were determined by using a questionnaire. The statistical software SPSS was used to process and analyze the collected data, where Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine the statistical reliability. The findings showed that both linguistic issues and cultural issues were found to be the challenges encountered in translating agricultural terms in Yemen. These challenges would be attributed to the lack of understanding of agricultural translation and its unique characteristics, differences between the source language and translation language, the lack of dictionaries and documentation, the lack of specialized translation courses in higher educational institutions, inadequate training for translators in agricultural translation, and the lack of understanding of both source and translation cultures. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that translation students and translation practitioners should be aware of the differences between Arabic and English. They should improve their agricultural backgrounds and the agricultural translation culture of both the source language and the target language by joining training institutions for professional translation to enhance their translation skills for more creative translations. Moreover, the study is recommended for the Departments of Translation, Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Fish Wealth to consider Yemeni agricultural terms and strive to translate, teach, and document them in government institutions and international websites.