Exploring the Impact of Intercultural Competence on Mitigating Cultural Appropriation in EFL Learners' Translation Practices Case of Master Students of Translation at Oran University

Abstract

Despite the due attention paid to the cultural turn in translation studies, mere linguistic approaches still permeate teaching practices in Algerian translation institutions. In this regard, Algerian translation learners often mix cultural concepts or use them out of their cultural context reflecting a phenomenon acknowledged by scholars as cultural appropriation. The aim of this study is three fold: First, it attempts to find the extent to which learners appropriate the target culture when undertaking the task of translation from English into Arabic and vice versa. Additionally, it highlights the different reasons that lead to cultural appropriation, and third, to explore the role of intercultural competence in mitigating cultural appropriation in learners ‘ performances. To collect the necessary data, a translation test that comprises texts of different genres laden with cultural concepts was administered to 40 Master’s students ( English-French-Arabic) from the Institute of Translation at Oran University, Algeria. Additionally, a semi structured interview was conducted with 25 from the same institute. The analysis of the obtained findings revealed that learners ‘renditions display different cultural appropriation aspects ; namely cultural dominance and cultural resistance. More importantly, it was found that the cultural dimension is marginalised in the teaching syllabi. This study recommends stakeholders, syllabus designers and translation trainers to effectively integrate the cultural component and develop intercultural competence to foster learners ‘ cultural knowledge, skills and awareness to mitigate the debated phenomenon and to respond to the demands of today’s market for professional translators who mediate between two different languages and bridge the gap between two distinct cultures.