International Journal of Linguistics and Translation Studies

Representations of Islam and Muslims in Media Addressed by Corpus-Based Approaches: Systematic Literature Review

Monther Alluhaidah — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In the last decade, the synergy of corpus linguistics (CL) methods within critical discourse analysis (CDA) has gained increasing popularity. This study aims to review and analyse studies related to different representations of Islam and Muslims in mainstream and alternative media addressed by corpus methodologies. It seeks to identify cross-cutting themes, similarities and differences and offer a synthesis of the literature findings to map the research topics that covered Islam and Muslims in media. Research papers are systematically searched in Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, and Science Direct from 2000 to July 2021. A total of 8 articles are selected on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria. All these articles are incorporated coherently to answer four predetermined research questions. This systematic literature review results show that the studies focus to a great extent only on Islam as a religion only and Muslim women, not on other topics, that are discriminatorily portrayed in the western media. In terms of women’s representations, they are depicted as either passive victims or active fighters. Whereas Islam is represented relatively negatively as an ideology, not a religion, and they use the reduction and confirmation hypothesis by selecting news articles to justify a predetermined idea.

Keywords: Corpus linguistics, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), Corpora, Islam and Muslims, newspaper discourse, media representation. Systematic Literature Review.

Interpreting Declarative Questions in Australian Courts

Ran Yi — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In common law courtrooms, questions are not merely questions, as they are often used strategically with varying illocutionary force and point. This article dealt with the under-investigated Chinese-English interpretations of declarative questions in virtual court proceedings. Drawn upon the interpreting performance data collected from 50 certified interpreters, the findings revealed that systematic alterations of declaratives that shift the pragmatic force in cross-examination. Such alterations may have further implications for counsels’ questioning strategies and judicial outcomes. This study intends to inform future pedagogical practice in specialised court interpreter training.

The Perception of EFL Libyan University Students Towards the Potential Advantages of Phonetic Symbols

Al-Shredi Nisreen — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The objective of this study is to investigate the perception of Libyan university students towards the potential advantages of phonetic symbols in learning English language. The study encompasses 30 students from the fifth, sixth, seventh and eight semesters studying all in the English Department in the Faculty of Languages at the University of Tripoli. The data is collected through a close-ended questionnaire distributed online via google forms. The results suggest that the students’ perception towards the potential advantages of phonetic symbols are seemingly positive. The findings arrive at a conclusion that students’ views towards the advantages of familiarity, visual- support, usefulness and awareness-raising of phonetic symbols are relatively positive. However, certain responses show that student have almost negative views towards the perceived ease of phonetic symbols as well as the potential of autonomous learning. The study finally suggest that the students still find phonetic symbols difficult to understand and use due to their insufficient knowledge or lack of total awareness.

Pragmatic Markers Used by Saudi Undergraduate EFL Learners in Oral Classroom Presentations at Albaha University

Saeed Abdullah Alzahrani — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The current study investigated the use of pragmatic markers during oral classroom presentations by Saudi Arabian undergraduate EFL learners at Albaha University, Saudi Arabia. The use of pragmatic markers in academic contexts such as presentations is significant as failure to use these markers can cause poor comprehension by audience members and instructors who are tasked with grading such work. The method involved categorising and sub-categorising the pragmatic markers used as well as the linguistic meanings and pragmatic functions of these markers. The data were collected using audio recordings of students' oral presentations and were analysed based on Fraser’s (1996) classification and functions of pragmatic markers. A sample (n=20) of Saudi undergraduate EFL learners participated in this study (males: n=10; females: n=10). The results show that in their oral presentations, Saudi EFL undergraduate students tend to use deference and paraphrase markers most frequently, which may reflect Saudi religious and cultural conventions. However, the students’ use of interjections, pausing, and cohesion in their presentations was poor. There is a need to help Saudi Arabian undergraduate EFL learners improve their knowledge and use of pragmatic markers so they can make better oral presentations both at university and in their future careers.

Exploring Moroccan EFL Teachers' Engagement in a WhatsApp Professional Development Group: Benefits and Concerns

Yassine Raha, Walid Mima, Benmhamed Mohamed — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the involvement of Moroccan EFL teachers in a WhatsApp group called "Professional Development" and their perceptions of online communities, particularly WhatsApp, concerning their professional development. Through a combination of WhatsApp group observation and semi-structured interviews, 20 EFL teachers from diverse locations across Morocco were engaged. The data collected were analyzed thematically. The findings reveal that WhatsApp serves as a valuable platform for teachers to access teaching materials such as tests, quizzes, PDF books, and official circulars from the Ministry of Education. Additionally, 71.4% of the participants emphasize the significance of virtual communities for their professional development. However, 28.6% of the teachers express concerns about WhatsApp being a waste of time due to the sharing of irrelevant content and chaotic discussions that divert the group from its primary purpose.

Learners’ Obstacles in the Translation of Legal Texts Between English and Vietnamese

Thanh-Huong Nhac — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Legal translation, also defined as the rendering of legal texts from the source language (SL) into the target language (Cao, 2007), is deemed as one of the most rigorous translation fields due to the distinctive, culture-specific and culture-sensitive features of legal language in different law areas (Alcaraz & Hughes, 2014). Undeniably, such wide divergence has imposed great difficulties on learners and practitioners, which attracted attention from educators and scholars for the last decade. Yet, there still exists a limited number of research on this issue. Therefore, the focal aim of the present study is to investigate relevant major factors of English-majored learners’ obstacles in the process of translating legal texts between English and Vietnamese at Hanoi Law University. A mixed-method study with the utilization of survey-questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and classroom observation was employed to collect data. The results revealed the main challenges concerning linguistic aspects of legal English language, the non-equivalent legal systems and cultures, and the students’ legal background knowledge. Such findings are expected to be beneficial for both teachers and learners when it comes to learning and teaching legal translation.

Exploring the Significance of Literary Texts to Enhance Intercultural Communicative Competence in Moroccan EFL Classrooms

Lahcen Ousiali, Hamid Housni, Redouane Amezoirou — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Language teaching aims not only at enabling learners to communicate fluently and accurately through mastering pure linguistic skills; but also at training them to interact effectively with speakers from different cultures. Literary texts are full of cultural topics that can trigger learners’ comparison and contrast skills. Unfortunately, not many English textbook designers and language teachers are interested in using literature to teach English despite the richness in content, language use, idiom, and vocabulary. Following (Byram, 1997), this research endeavours to explore the relevance of using literature on EFL classrooms to develop learners’ intercultural communicative competence through an experiment done with a group of Moroccan high school learners. A survey developed by (Duisembekova, 2021) was adapted to collect data which was analyzed using (SPSS, edition 26). The study revealed that most learners exhibit positive attitudes and great motivation towards reading literary texts and discussing intercultural themes. It also demonstrated that a respectable number of learners have enhanced their analysis, interpretation and critical thinking skills. The results can serve as an incentive for educators and syllabus designers to rethink ways to appropriately incorporate literature within EFL classrooms.

Exploring Politeness: Analyzing the Arabic Translation In Jane Austen's Sense And Sensibility

Mariem Mahmoudi, Abdelkrim Chirig — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Research shows that the concept of politeness is inherently intricate. The current paper examines the role of politeness in translation and highlights its significance as a chief aspect for translators. It focuses on the relationship between pragmatics and translation. The study analyzes the Arabic translation of selected chapters from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, which takes place during the Victorian era and employs various linguistic elements that depict many aspects of politeness. The analysis discusses honorific titles and politeness expressions in both the source English text and its Arabic translation. Following a qualitative approach, Roger T. Bell's discourse parameters are implemented as the analytical framework. Through this examination, the paper highlights the relationship between translation and pragmatics while enhancing our understanding of cross-cultural linguistic differences. The results show that neglecting pragmatic features in translation (i.e., politeness) often due to specific factors can result in incomplete or poor translations, potentially altering the formality of the text unintentionally.

Crossing Borders, Translating Encounters: Moroccan Ambassadorial Travellers to Europe and the Linguistic Negotiation of Alterity

Salaheddine BEKKAOUI — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Moroccan ambassadorial travel narratives to Europe display an interesting interplay between the processes of translation and cross-cultural exploration. As these travellers embarked on their journeys, they embraced a versatile approach to translation, employing their native language, borrowing foreign loanwords, and transliteration techniques to grapple with the enigmatic manifestations of the alien world they visited. This intricate process, the paper argues, not only reflects their determination to comprehend the unfamiliar landscapes and exotic people they encountered but also highlights their inherent curiosity about European culture and civilization. The other conclusion is that the act of translation within their narratives embodies their conscious efforts to convey the essence of their experiences to audiences back home who lacked the opportunity to embark on similar journeys.

Abdulrazzaq Al-Saadi's Twitter Micro-blogging: Saudi Men’s Writing the Self in Cyberspace

Nesreen Al-Harby, Shuroq AlJuhani — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Abdulrazzaq Al-Saadi is considered the first writer of a Twitter memoir, making his memoir thread a significant area of investigation as a cyber writing of the self and as a microblog. Twitter's microblogging service is considered one of the attainable literary practices, and its various recorded productions of such literary works led to the coining of the term ‘Twitterature.’ This paper sheds light on the internet memoir of the Saudi Arabian linguist, and it investigates it as a literary work in cyberspace and as a traditional writing of the self. This research debates that Al-Saadi’s memoir is loyal to the criteria of Arab life narratives. It additionally argues that the writer practices self-censorship and control over his writing as a sign of social and cultural conformity. This work further suggests that Al-Saadi’s memoir thread can be divided into national, familial, and academic categories. Finally, researchers examine the accessibility the memoir achieves as a cybertext and readers' interactions with its different classifications..

Indicators of Scene Changes in Persian and English Audio Descriptions: A Comparative Study

Sina Salehi, Mir Saeed Mousavi Razavi — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigated the audio description (AD) of scene changes indicators in English and Persian ADs to determine the degree to which they conform to ITC Guidance on Standards for Audio Description and their similarities and differences. The Persian ADs included Persian dubbed versions of Casablanca, On the Waterfront, Psycho, and Citizen Kane, audio described in Persian, and the Iranian film Sorkhpust. The English ADs consisted of Bruce Almighty, Seven, and Fury films. Twenty minutes of each film were randomly selected to be analyzed with respect to the ITC[1] (2000). ITC suggests that appropriate indicators must signal scene changes. The results showed that scene changes in both English and Persian ADs were at times signaled by appropriate indicators and were also ignored at times. In the English ADs, the percentage for signaling scene changes was 62.83%; the number was 53.33% in the Persian ADs. This difference was caused by a higher frequency of short, simple temporal, and spatial scene change indicators in the English ADs. Also, another possible reason that can account for the difference is the potential differences in the subjective interpretations of change of location, which can lead to different perceptions of scene changes and the differences in the percentages of using indicators.

[1] Independent Television Commission

A Corpus-based Analysis of Job Description Discourse

Jiuding Quan — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This research applies a corpus discourse analysis approach to examine 160 job descriptions specific to the translation profession published in Shanghai in May 2023. Job descriptions (JDs) include educational backgrounds, experience requirements, and knowledge skills. By utilizing corpus data, the study investigates the linguistic characteristics of translation job descriptions and the job market demand for translation graduates. This study indicates that graduates who are only capable of translating languages are less likely to enter the language service industry. In addition, there is a significant disparity between the current supply of translation graduates and job market demand. The demand of the job market for translation graduates should have talented language ability, solid industrial knowledge, and multidimensional competencies. This study provides valuable information to universities offering translation majors, enabling them to develop curriculums that are aligned with industry needs, educate translation graduates who are well-suited for the job market, and provide support to translation graduates in order to facilitate their professional growth and efficient employment.

Investigating the Interplay of Foreign Language Enjoyment, Elaboration Strategies, Gender Differences, and Academic Achievement among Chinese EFL learners

Meihong Jiang — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The objective of this study was to investigate whether foreign language enjoyment predicted elaboration strategy and academic achievement and to test whether there are gender differences in the relations of foreign language enjoyment, elaboration strategies, and academic achievement in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context in China. Data were collected from 536 Chinese secondary EFL learners aged 11-15 years in Grade 7 and Grade 8. Results from structural equation modeling analysis (SEM) found that foreign language enjoyment was positively correlated with EFL learning achievement directly and indirectly, mediated by elaboration strategies. In addition, results of multi-group analysis showed that indirect relations from foreign language enjoyment to EFL learning achievement were not moderated by gender, indicating that the model of “foreign language enjoyment→elaboration strategies→EFL learning achievement” was invariant across genders. These findings add to the literature on the mechanism linking foreign language enjoyment and EFL learning achievement and an increasing number of studies concerning the female dominance in terms of language learning. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Effectiveness of Group Work Strategy on the Achievement of EFL Secondary School Students in Ma’rib City

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of group work strategy on the achievement of secondary school students in Ma’rib City. To achieve the objectives of the study, the research was organized according to a quasi-experimental design with experimental and control groups. The experimental (n=30) and the control group (n=30) were purposefully chosen to participate in the experiment among the 10th grade students in Al-Methaq secondary school in Ma’rib City in the first semester of the study year (2021-2021). The study instrument was an achievement test administered before and after conducting the experiment. The validity and reliability of the instrument were ensured. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The obtained data were calculated and tabulated for analysis using descriptive statistics (means, standard deviation, and rank mean). The results of the study showed a positive effect of using group work strategy on students’ achievement in English. In addition, the results showed that there were statistically significant differences in the mean scores between the two groups in the achievement of English. The researcher attributed this result to the use of group work strategy. In conclusion, the study recommends the need to implement active learning strategies in teaching and learning English to ensure better outcomes for students.