Students’ Perceptions towards the Role of the Context in Solving Problems of Misunderstanding when Translating Polysemous Words from English to Arabic

Abstract

In this final memoire, we try to explore second year master degree students’ knowledge about the importance of context when translating polysemous words from English to Arabic. The objective of this work is to confirm two hypotheses: if second year English Master degree learners of English Language and Linguistics at Abd Elhamid Ibn Badis university consider the context, they will choose the right meaning of polysemous words; and if the learners do know the different meanings of the polysemic word, they will translate it effectively in various contexts. A questionnaire has been designed to find out if our hypotheses are valid or not, it was presented to a random group of second year master degree students. The results show that these students know exactly what role the ‘context’ plays during the translation process. Moreover, it proves that knowing the different meanings of a polysemic word gives the students the opportunity to be more accurate in their translation. Finally, some helpful pedagogical recommendations are stated to increase students’ capacities in translation.