Translation and Arabization of Computer Terminology: A Study of Learners’ Preferences and Attitudes

Abstract

The study assessed learners’ preferences and attitudes towards translated and Arabized computer terminology. It addressed the obstacles of Arabic scientific terminology and how these obstacles affected learners. For its instrumentation, it used two research tools to collect the data. The first tool was a test that rated learners’ preferences for translated and Arabized scientific terminology. It provided optional Arabic equivalents for 25 foreign target terms. The other instrument, a questionnaire, consisted of 10 items to which participants responded via a 5-point Likert rating. The two tools were administered to a sample of 159 participants majoring in computer science. The data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Findings reveal learners’ positive attitude towards Arabic computer terminology but translated terms gain more preference than Arabized ones. The study also revealed learners’ positive attitude toward Arabized terminology, stressing the significance of Arabization to maintain language identity. It is generally emphasized that the multiplicity of translated forms of the foreign term is inevitable due to the diversity of translation techniques and methods.