English-Arabic Translation of COVID-19 Prevention and Control Terminology: A Domesticating Approach

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 brought a crucial need for clear instructions to control and prevent the virus’s spread. In the context of the Arabic language, the demand for medical translators soared and the public needed clear health guidance more than ever before. This study aims to investigate the challenges of the English-Arabic translation of COVID-19 prevention and control terminology using a domesticating approach (Venuti, 1995) to overcome any challenges. A set of criteria, “conciseness, precision and appropriateness” (Giaber and Sharkas, 2021) is used for the assessment of the quality of the translation. Additionally, a questionnaire of English-Arabic translation samples is answered by 32 participants (26 males and 6 females), to evaluate the quality of these translations based on “clarity and naturalness” (Halimah, 2015). The results indicate that linguistic and cultural challenges are found in the English-Arabic translation of COVID-19 prevention and control terminology. They also indicate that the application of a domesticating approach improves their quality and helps to overcome linguistic and cultural challenges in translation.