(Im)Possibilities of Translating Scientific Texts into Arabic

Abstract

This study will address a two-point issue in translating scientific text into Arabic, as it will attempt to define its various problems, and to determine the possibilities of its practice in the current Arab academic and cultural reality. This study assumes that translating scientific texts presents a two-fold challenge: identifying problems and suggesting solutions. This challenge lies in the fact that Translating scientific texts into Arabic often encounters both objective and subjective challenges that prevent accurate, precise, and fluent translation. Such a challenge has also to do with scientific knowledge, mostly characterized by highly objective, accurate, abstract, clear, proven, argumentative and logical/ rational construction of ideas and conceptions. Firstly, the translator has to solve the more specialized/ technical lexicon of scientific texts. He/ she is required to adopt multiple approaches to find possible equivalences for scientific terms and concepts, including coining, derivation, Arabization, transcription, etc. Secondly, the translator must maintain the accuracy and neutrality of the source text; that is, he/ she must maintain the source text (ST) accurate, objective, impartial, neutral, logical and rational dimensions in the target text (TT). This study will therefore approach the objective and subjective translational issues raised by these two aspects of the scientific texts. It will also attempt to make some recommendations that can improve science translations into Arabic.