The Role of Translation in Developing ESP Learners' Reading Comprehension Skills-A Case Study of Medical Students at Najran University-KSA
The Role of Translation in Developing ESP Learners' Reading Comprehension Skills-A Case Study of Medical Students at Najran University-KSA
The Role of Translation in Developing ESP Learners' Reading Comprehension Skills-A Case Study of Medical Students at Najran University-KSA
Abstract
Reading comprehension is developed through successful interaction between the reader and the text. This interaction is
the major factor that plays the crucial role in comprehension. ESP has a strong and palpable presence in the curricula of
Saud universities due to a range of considerations. It is used in different domains such as medicine, engineering,
and allied health. It is well known, that any use of L1 in English language instruction has always been a matter
of hot debate. This study aims to shed some fresh light on the importance of translation as a pedagogical tool in
developing reading comprehension skills of ESP medical learners at Najran University- KSA. Undeniably, the
students experience bewilderment and great difficulties in grasping the enormous quantity of medical terms and
texts as a result of their extreme weakness in English. The level of most Saudi students in English is very low and
their knowledge of vocabulary is extremely limited. Studying medical terminology is the foundation for studying any
health-related field. Medicine has a language of its own, and mastering it is a complex task. So, regarding ESP medical
courses, the students resort to machine translation, because they cannot absorb the medical texts and terms properly.
There are so many shortcomings with respect to machine translation This study investigates the effect of using
translation in ESP medical classes with the objective of helping students in comprehending terminologies and
texts. It also aims at motivating them and meeting their learning needs. Moreover, the study aims to help students
concentrate on the standardized terminology and avoid the imperfections of machine translation.
Keywords: Translation, ESP, Reading Comprehension, Machine Translation
1. Introduction
Translation means rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the text;
(Newmark, 1988:5).Whereas reading comprehension is the process of simultaneously extracting and constructing
meaning through interaction with written language, Sweet & Snow (2003). As for English for Specific Purposes (ESP),
it is defined as an approach to language teaching which aims to meet the needs of particular learners, (Hutchinson &
Waters, 1987: 21). The main goal of reading is to train students to read efficiently and quickly enough to get
information or meaning from written material rapidly and with full understanding. There are many reasons why getting
students to read English texts is an important part of a teacher’s job. Reading can help students to be able to read texts
in English either for their careers, for study purposes, or simply for pleasure. It is useful for other purposes too. Any
exposure to English- provided that, the students understand it more or less- is a good thing for language learning.
Research indicates that the use of translation in reading comprehension enhances learning (Mahmoud: 2006). Recently,
there has been a revival of interest to translation due to the shift of its emphasis- to using mother tongue as a resource
for the promotion of language learning, translation develops three qualities essential to all language learning: accuracy,
clarity, and flexibility (Ross, 2000:61).
1.1 Statement of the problem
Arab medical students encounter great difficulties in grasping ESP texts in general and ESP medical texts and
terms in particular. Due to their low level in English, they resort to machine translation in order to understand
terminologies and texts. This MT, most of the time mislead them further and land them in trouble. The researcher
deemed translation as a remedy for learners’ problems. It was in recognition of that need that he conducted this
study. Obviously, there is a lack of research on ESP disciplines, especially, medical reading comprehension. Most ESP
teachers find the scientific content difficult to tackle in depth. Although the ESP approach is widely used in
English language programs in Saudi Arabia, but few studies had been conducted about it. The purpose of these
programs is to provide students with an English Language knowledge that enables them to join the workforce.
Attention is increasingly being paid to pedagogy in ESP classrooms and a debate is on as to how it should
be taught.
IJALEL 6(3):243-253, 2017 244
Undoubtedly, the majority of students find great difficulty and suffer immensely in understanding and getting
the utmost benefit from these courses which are relevant to their needs. This study attempted at figuring out
how the use of translation can facilitate and enhance reading comprehension skills as far as ESP medical
learning is concerned.
1.2 Research Questions
The following questions are considered the problem of the research:
• What are the problems that face ESP medical learners and hurdle their progress in terms of reading
comprehension?
• What is the impact of translation on facilitating learning and grasping medical terms?
• What are ESP medical learners’ attitudes towards the use of L1 in their classes?
• How can the use of L1 help in avoiding the imperfections of machine translation?
1.3 Research Hypothesis
The study is intended to achieve the following aims:
1. To explore the role translation can have on reading comprehension of ESP medical students.
2. To emphasize the role of translation in understanding medical texts, medical terms and abbreviations
3. To find out the effect of translation on raising students’ competence and performance, and help them be
updated with medical terminology
4. To pinpoint and correct the mistakes made by the students as a result of their use of MT.
5. To contribute to the learning of EFL students, in general, and ESP students, in particular.
1.4 Significance of the Study
This study was targeting all the parties involved in the process of ESP medical learning. It targets the learners as they
are the ultimate goal of the whole educational process as well as the ESP teachers. It is also significant to syllabi
designers who develop material for ESP courses. It can also clear the way for other researchers to shed light on
translation and its relevance to ESP.
2. Relevant Literature
A lot of literature has been written about reading comprehension in general, reading comprehension in ESP
medical classes, and translation and its relevance to reading. Good readers use comprehension strategies to
facilitate the construction of meaning. These strategies include understanding vocabulary in the present context,
skimming, scanning, predicting, summarizing, and evaluating, self-questioning, making connections, visualizing and
monitoring etc. Researchers believe that using such strategies helps students become meta-cognitive readers
(McLaughlin & Allen, 2002.). In his research “Translation: Back from Siberia”, carried out at Azad University in Iran,
Bonyadi (2006), reached the conclusion that translation activity in our classrooms enhances interaction between
teacher and students and among the students themselves.
The reasons behind students’ use of L1 in the classroom are numerous. Harmer, (2001: 131) indicates that the
choice of task has made the use of L1 almost inevitable for students. In this respect, Eldridge (1996: 210), indicates
that another reason why students use their own language in the classroom is because it is an entirely natural
thing to do. When students learn a foreign language, they use translation almost without thinking about it,
particularly at elementary and intermediate levels. (Newmark,1988:46) said that communicative translation is
original for its successful shift from learning translation as a set of skills to using translation as a resource.
Harbord (1992: 354), advocates and shared the same ideas with Eldridge and says:
Students use their L1 when performing pedagogical tasks, especially when one student is explaining
something to another. This is a habit that in most cases will occur without the teacher’s
encouragement.. (Galina, 2010) in her paper titled “New Trends Exploring the language of Science” conducted
in Russia stated that the amount of the native language the students need depends on their proficiency and
linguistic situations.
(Hutchinson and Waters, 1987: 111) state that comprehension in ESP texts is essential in creating a context of
knowledge for the comprehension of the input. Ghazala (2008:156) stated that, Arabization is the translation of
technical terms into Arabic. It is one of the central problems not only for students, but also for teachers as
well as for translators. (Mahmoud, 2002: 5), Translation can improve comprehension since it encourages the
students to read a passage carefully and precisely at the word, sentence and text levels. According to Harding
(2007:7), an ESP teacher is also a course designer and material provider. In his research “ESP Learners’ Needs”: A
Case Study of Medical Students at Some Sudanese Universities”, Dafa-Allah (2012) reached a conclusion that what the
medical students need more is Academic English. Learners are the main resource of data in the needs analysis and the
failure of most ESP programs in Sudan is directly attributed to the absence of needs analysis practice.
IJALEL 6(3):243-253, 2017 245
3. Methodology
The methodology consisted of the setting, research subjects, measuring instruments, and procedures. The methods
adopted in this study are the true experimental design, in which the students targeted are involved in the
experiment, and the questionnaire tool. Two comparable similar groups from Community College- Medical
Laboratories Department- and the College of Community Service and Continuing Learning were selected particularly
for experimentation purposes. They totaled (80) in number, (40) from each college.
3.1 Limitation of the Study
The topic of the research was limited to the role of translation on developing ESP learners’ reading comprehension
skills. The subjects of the study were limited to the students of two colleges at Najran University-KSA. The study was
conducted during the academic year 2013-2014.
3.2 Instruments of Data Collection
The subjects of the study were ESP learners studying different medical disciplines at Najran University-KSA, along
with (20) faculty members. The researcher used three instruments to collect the appropriate data for the research as
follows:
• Survey instrument
• Experimental instrument
• Questionnaire instrument
Questionnaires were used as an instrument for investigating the attitudes of ESP teachers about the effect of
translation in ESP medical classes. As for the experimental method, the target population (80) students from
two different colleges at NU, who represented control and experimental groups, sat for a test on a broad area
of comprehension skills. The aim of the test was to reach a conclusion about the benefit students can get
from the use of L1 in ESP medical reading comprehension classes. The sample of the research was composed
of four groups as follows:
1. Two control groups from two separate colleges.
2. Two experimental groups from the same two colleges
3. A questionnaire distributed to a group of English Language staff members at Najran
University - KSA, who have good experience of teaching English in general and ESP in particular
in order to reach a conclusion about their opinions on using L1 in ESP medical classes.
Table 1. Shows the coefficient correlation. It is clear from the key above that the correlation of the test falls
between (0.91__1.0).
The stronger the correlation, the more reliable the test is.
Table 2. Means and Standard Deviation of the Scores of the Students of CC and CS
Community Services
statistics
Experimental control experimental Control
No. 20 20 20 20
Mean 36.6 17.1 36.1 18.05
variance 63.2 75.674 81.322 80.682
Table 2. Shows the means and Standard Deviation of the scores of the students in both EG and CG. As can be seen, all
scoring of the EGs showed a statistically significant effect.
Table 3. The result of the analysis which reflects the validity of the test for Community College
Variables Correlations
Skimming for Main Ideas .913(**)
Scanning .773(**)
Multiple Meaning Words .672(**)
Context Clues .754(**)
Prefixes and suffixes .850(**)
Prediction .750(**)
Inference .795(**)
Cause and Effect .659(**)
Previewing .905(**)
Summarizing .503(*)
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
* Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
Table 4. The result of the analysis which reflects the validity of the test for Community Service
Variables Correlations
Skimming for Main Ideas .917(**)
Scanning .878(**)
Multiple Meaning Words .492(*)
Context Clues .792(**)
Prefixes and suffixes .854(**)
Prediction .835(**)
Inference .838(**)
Cause and Effect .706(**)
Previewing .858(**)
Summarizing .569(**)
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
* Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
IJALEL 6(3):243-253, 2017 247
3.5 The Format of the Questionnaires
The researcher adopted the descriptive and analytical method. The structure of the teachers’ questionnaire consisted of
five “dimensions” and (32) statements, appendix (3).
3.6 Feedback of the Teachers’ Questionnaire
Figure (1) shows the feedback of the teachers who took part in the questionnaire. For the first dimension
“Most Students encounter difficulties in understanding medical terminologies” 85% of the respondents agreed
with this point. As for the second dimension “Translation in ESP Medical Classes can be a good
pedagogical tool” the respondents’ opinion in this regard was (75%). Regarding the third dimension of the
questionnaire which is “The attitudes towards the use of translation in ESP medical classes are positive”, the
respondents’ satisfaction was 70%. Concerning the fourth dimension “By using translation in ESP medical
classes, the students can avoid the shortcomings of machine translation”, the percentage of the participants
was also (70%). And in respect to the fifth dimension “Translation of medical terms meets learners’ needs”
the respondents’ opinion was (65%). So, this result showed that faculty members are strongly in favor of a
limited use of translation in ESP medical classes.
At the end of the questionnaire, there was a section for giving comments. Almost all the comments were in favor of a
limited use of L1 in ESP medical classes. But only one respondent commented that he is not supportive of any use of L1
in an ESP class. He indicated that it does nothing to enhance a student’s communicative ability in the language.
Another respondent mentioned that, he commends the use of translation for level-one students, but it is never a
good idea to use it when teaching advanced-level students. They have to study more so as to gain more knowledge in
their chosen fields of endeavor. Regarding the second dimension of the questionnaire, statement (12) By “Using
translation, the teacher can establish a close rapport with the students”, a third respondent added a comment that this
point is inappropriate. The last comment came from a respondent concerning the second dimension, statement (15)
“The use of mother tongue in an ESP class would decrease rote learning” he disagreed with this statement pointing
out that, L1 has nothing to do with rote learning, which is a bad habit, students developed in their earlier stages
of learning.
Generally speaking, the opinions expressed in the comment section were a real plus and they enriched the content of
this study.
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Most students Translation in The Attitudes of By Using Translation of
encounter ESP Medical Students Translation in Medical Terms
difficulties in Classes can be a Towards the Use ESP Medical Meets Learners’’
understanding Good of Translation is Classes, the Needs
medical Pedagogical ESP Medical Students can
terminologies Tool Classes are Avoid the
Positive Shortcomings of
Machine
Translation
References
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(3), 61-66.
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Retrieved. (2012). http://database.irandoc.ac.ir/DL/Digitization/Display_FullImage_FrameSet.aspx?DigitalCode=120
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(3), 61-66.
Appendix 1
Examples of Error Analysis from Students’ Computer aided Translated terms
Example-Based Machine Translation (EBMT)
Medical Terminology Machine Translation Correction
1. Renal Dialysis ميز غشائي غسيل كلوي
2.Oteoporosis تلين العظام- هشاشة العظام
3.Vitiligo الوضح البرص
4.Dehydration الزموهة فقدان السوائل
5.Stroke ضربة جلطة دماغية
6. Anesthesia تخدير محلى- تخدير موضعي
7.Concussion هزة ارتجاج مخي
8.Orthodontics طب األسنان المعوجة تقويم األسنان
9. Palliative Medicine الطب المخفف الطب التلطفي
10. Cardiac Arrest احتجاز قلبي سكتة قلبية
11. Gonorrhea التعقبية السيالن
12.Syphilis االفرنجى الزهري
13. Angina الخناق ذبحة صدرية
14.Severe Heart Attack هجوم القلب الشديد نوبة قلبية حادة
15. Abortion إسقاط إجهاض بفعل فاعل
16. Miscarriage امالص- إجهاض عفوي
17. Ischemia احتباسية فقر دم موضعي
18. Internist طبيب داخلي طبيب باطني
19.Vertigo رنح دوار
20. Liposuction مص الدهون شفط الدهون
21. Colonic Volvulus انفتال- التواء القولون
22. Cirrhosis تشمع دهنى تليف الكبد
23. Hysopadias مبال تحتاني عيب خلقي تناسلي
24. Polycystic أكياس المبايض تكيس المبايض
25. Glaucoma الزرق الماء األسود
26. Myopia الخفش قصر النظر
27. Residency إقامة فترة االمتياز
28.Venerology األمراض الزهرية األمراض التناسلية
29.Gastroenteritis التهاب أمعاء نزلة معوية
30. Vasoconstriction تضييق الشرايين ضيق األوعية الدموية
31. Stillbirth مالص جنين مولود ميتا
32. Cystitis المثن التهاب المثانة
33. Thyroiditis الدراق التهاب الغدة الدرقية
34. Senility سبه خرف
35. Litholopaxy الرضخ تفتيت الحصاوى-
)A computer-aided translation for the text (New Treatment for Kidney Failure other than Dialysis
مع الفشل الكلوي والمرضى تفقد ما يقرب من جميع وظائف الكلى الخاصة بهم .غسيل الكلى يمكن القيام ببعض العمل الكلى بما في ذلك إزالة السوائل
والنفايات إضافية ،و تنظيم ضغط الدم ،وهلم جرا .ومع ذلك ،غسيل الكلى ليس عالجا سهلة حتى بالنسبة ال أصلح شخص .حسنا ،هل هناك عالج جديد ل
الفشل الكلوي بخالف غسيل الكلى ؟
مستوى عندما .الكلى وظائف األخرى هي الهرمون بعض إفراز و الدم ضغط على والحفاظ ،الكهارل توازن على والحفاظ ،الدم تطهير إلى باإلضافة
للقضاء المريضة الكلى محل تحل أن يمكن الكلى غسيل .الكلوي الفشل إلى المرضى المرض حالة تفاقم و إلى يشير فإنه 15 ٪ ،من أقل هو الكلى وظائف
كما بفعالية العمل على قادر غير الكلى غسيل نعرف أن يمكننا ،النقطة هذه من .وليوريا البولية وحمض الكرياتينين مثل الصغيرة ،الجزيئية النفايات على
.سيكون المضاعفات من والمزيد ،الكلى غسيل على المرضى ويعد ،ذلك من أسوأ هو ما .صحية الكلى
العالجات البديلة ل غسيل الكلى الفشل الكلوي
بغض النظر عن أي عامل يسبب العدوى والفشل الكلوي ،ويرجع ذلك إلى نقص األكسجين الكلوي و نقص التروي الضرر أو حتى نخر الخاليا الكامنة الكلى .
أيضا ،ودرجة إصابة الكلى هو أبعد من القدرة على العالجي الذاتي الكلى .طالما خاليا الكلى التالفة يمكن استعادتها وزيادة مستوى وظائف الكلى ،ومرضى
الفشل الكلوي يمكن التخلص من غسيل الكلى بنجاح.
وفقا لمتطلبات العالج ،و نود أن نقدم الدقيقة الطب الصيني Osmotherapy .هذا العالج له آثار عالجية التالية.
1المضادة ل التهاب :يبدأ من الفشل الكلوي لديه ارتباط وثيق مع العوامل االلتهابية في الدورة الدموية .هذا التأثير يمكن أن تساعد في منع المزيد من
الضرر الكلى وتطبيع الدورة الدموية إلى حد كبير.
2المضادة ال تخثر :تفعيلة الدموية وإزالة ركود هو التفوق واحد من الطب الصيني التقليدي .يمكن لهذا تأثير منع تشكيل خثره ،وذلك للتعامل مع نقص
األكسجين الكلوي و نقص التروي
The text “New Treatment for Kidney Failure other than Dialysis” Translated by the Researcher
,
مع الفشل الكلوي يفقد المرضى تقريبا "كل وظيفة الكلى .الغسيل الكلوي يمكن أن يؤدى بعض العمل الذي تقوم به الكلية مثل إزالة السوائل اإلضافية
والفضالت ،تنظيم ضغط الدم وما إلى ذلك .ومع ذلك فان الغسيل الكلوي ليس بالعالج السهل حتى بالنسبة للشخص السليم -حسنا" ،هل هناك عالج جديد
للفشل الكلوي بخالف الغسيل؟
باإلضافة إلى تنقية الدم والحفاظ على توازن المنحل الكهربائي ،ضغط الدم وإفراز بعض الهرمون هي من وظائف الكلى األخرى .عندما يكون مستوى أداء
الكلية أقل من 15%فان هذا مؤشر لتفاقم حالة المريض إلى الفشل الكلوي.
الغسيل يمكن أن يحل محل الكلية المريضة للتخلص من الفضالت الجزيئية الصغيرة ،مثل الكرياتنين ،حمض البوليك واليوريا.من هذا المنطلق ،يمكن أن
نعرف أن الغسيل ال يمكن أن يؤدى عمل بنفس فعالية الكلية السليمة .األسوأ من ذلك أنه كلما طالت مدة الغسيل الكلوي لدى المرضى ،كلما ازدادت
مضاعفاتهم في ذلك.
هناك بعض العالج البديل للغسيل.
حسب متطلبات العالج يمكن تقديم العالج بالطب الصيني -هذا العالج له المضاعفات التالية:
1مضاد لاللتهاب :في بداية الفشل الكلوي يكون مرتبطا "بالعوامل االلتهابية في الدورة الدموية.هذا األثر يمكن أن يخفف من الضرر الذي يمكن يلحق بالكلية
ويجعل الدورة الدموية تعود لطبيعتها.
2مضاد التجلط :تنشيط الدم وإزالة الركود الدموي ميزة كبرى للطب الصيني التقليدي ،هذا يمكن أن يمنع الجلطة الدموية ويعالج نقص األكسجين الكلوي
وفقر الدم الموضعي الناتج عن نقص تدفق الدم في الشرايين,
Fourth: By using translation in ESP medical classes, students can avoid shortcomings of machine translation.
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