Back-translation : a procedural quality assurance technique in training student–translators and enhancing their translation competence

Abstract EN

This study claims that Back Translation as self-training procedure enables student-translators to enhance their translation competence and proficiency in the field of translation.

Most of back translation studies emphasize the reliability of this procedure with only highly informative texts (e.g.

scientific and legal documents) provided that it is implemented by a different translator who had no previous access to the original text.

This study argues that successive attempts of back translation of any text type from Arabic into English and vice versa by the same student-translator at different times promotes his awareness of the minute details of the translation process and product.

The research data were analyzed on the basis of interviews held with the test subjects after their back translation attempts.

The translators' product and retrospections validate the role of back translation not only as a quality assurance procedure but also as an exponent of efficiency in enhancing their translation competence.