The paper titled "Investigating the Inadequacy of Machine Translation in Conveying the Sense and Sensibility Towards Arabic Texts Translated into English" primarily focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of machine translation in accurately reflecting the intended meanings when translating Arabic texts into English. The study seeks to explore the extent to which machine translation systems fail to convey the nuances and cultural sensibilities inherent in Arabic texts when translated into English.
The purpose of the study is to highlight the limitations of machine translation, particularly in its ability to handle the complex linguistic and cultural elements present in Arabic. The scope is specifically drawn from the experiences of non-native speakers translating Arabic into English, with an emphasis on the challenges faced by these machine translation systems.
The researchers employed a descriptive analytical and qualitative methodology, using content analysis as a tool to gather relevant data. A sample was randomly selected from Sudanese folklore songs performed by the renowned Sudanese singer Mohammed Wardi. This approach allowed the researchers to analyze how machine translation handled specific cultural and linguistic elements in the text.
Key findings reveal significant inadequacies in machine translation systems. The study found that machine translation often fails to capture the intended meaning of words, particularly those with cultural or connotative significance. For instance, words like "غربة" and "حيران" were mistranslated in ways that did not convey their true meanings, leading to a loss of the intended sense and sensibility in the translation. The study emphasizes that such mistranslations are particularly problematic when dealing with culturally bound terms, as they can distort the original message.
The study concludes that machine translation is inadequate for accurately reflecting the intended meaning of Arabic texts when translated into English. The findings underscore the importance of human intervention in the translation process, especially when dealing with culturally rich and linguistically complex texts. The researchers advocate for a more nuanced approach to machine translation that takes into account the cultural and linguistic specificities of the source language.