Arabic-L:LING:Arabic for Special Purposes translation

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Thu 17 Jan 2008
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1) Subject:Arabic for Special Purposes translation

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1)
Date: 17 Jan 2008
From:"paula santillan <capraia at yahoo.com>
Subject:Arabic for Special Purposes translation

i thought perhaps the rest of the list members would
like to recieve these other two reply messages.

-p

---

Dear Paula,

You might consider the term al-'Arabiyyah
al-Mukhtassah, or Lughah
'Arabiyyah Mukhtassah.  It attaches the specificity
to the language not the
purpose, and it perhaps has a more native feel.


Alex

Alex Dalati
Certified Arabic Translator


Greetings.... ahalan wa sahalan.

I refer to your query posted on Arabic-L list.

One alternative expression is "Arabic for Special
Applications," ( العربية للتؕبيقات
الخاصة \ التخصصية ) versus "Arabic
(Language) for special purposes." (hope the Arabic
text for the two frequent variants -- inserted between
the parethses above -- arrives and displays properly,
ISA.)

That expression ("ASA") seemed in common use in the
degree-granting programs in translation and
interpreting offered by major universities in Saudi
Arabia, especially King Saud University and Imam
Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University (both in Riyadh,
where I was until last December).

The BA-level degree program in T&I at KSU includes
options to speciaIize during the last two years of the
program in a range of fields, technologies,
professions and industries so that graduates can get
jobs in the government or private sector.

You might also check the various undergraduate degree
or "professional certificate" programs in T&I
conducted by several government-run and private-sector
universities, colleges, and institutes in UAE ,
especially those conducted by UAE University in
Al-Ain, Abu Dhabi and the multi-campus emirates-wide
network of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT),
plus what may be offered by the American University of
Sharjah (which is somewhat newer in UAE). I have no
information about what may be offered in Qatar or Oman
for programs in T&I.

Hope this helps. Khair, in shaa' Allah.

Regards,

Stephen H. Franke
San Pedro, California

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2)
Date: 17 Jan 2008
From:"Srpko Lestaric" <srpkole at EUnet.yu>
Subject:Arabic for Special Purposes translation

As I understand, Paula Santillan asked how would we translate "Arabic  
for Specific Purposes course" (or: "Arabic for Special Purposes  
course", as it was written in the Subject line, perhaps for some  
special purpose?) into Arabic. Now, it is irrelevant whether it is a  
course or anything else, at least it is so here. For "course" we have  
one and single equivalent: dawra. By "Arabic" here is meant "the  
Arabic Language", so it should obviously be "al-lugha al-3arabiyya" or  
simply "al-3arabiyya", which often suffices. The other noun is easy to  
translate as well: purposes = 'aghraaD. The alternative 'ahdaaf is not  
as right as that, but is acceptable, either.

So, the only problem Paula had was the one with the adjective, either  
"specific" or "special". Any of the two sets the same problem, for the  
Arabs themselves, I mean in their practice, have not done what they  
should to make this field semantically clear. We see them using the  
word "khaaSS(a)" for "special", and for "specific" and even for  
"private" and "own". On the other hand, the Arabic equivalents for  
"specific" can also be different, from muHaddad and mu3ayyan, till  
daqiiq, waaDiH and mumayyiz. Had it not been so, Paula would never  
think of translating it by words like "muHaddada" or "mu3ayyana",  
which are inadequate here at any rate, for even if it were  
"specific" (as I believe) and not "special", it'd be closer to the  
wanted equivalence if we say "khaSSa". (Having in mind that the  
question is about a language teaching course, we can be quite sure  
that this particular "specific" has to mean "special" and has nothing  
to do eithr with "precise" or "characteristic".)

However, Paula had, according to her own words, "to translate the  
course title of an Arabic for Specific Purposes (ASP) course into  
Arabic". This means that she was obliged to use "al-" (al-mu3arrif)  
and say exactly: dawra fi-l-lugha al-3arabiyya li-l-'aghraaD al- 
khaSSa, not li-'aghraaD khaSSa. These "specific purposes" here are so  
clearly specific, that they require the so called definite article in  
Arabic, even though they do not require it in English. Of course, this  
is not the right moment to analyze the difference between the English  
definite article and what is called the definite article in Arabic.

At the same time, this might be a good place to compare a little these  
two phenomena. For we see our colleague Raji Rammuny says that, in his  
opinion, "Arabic for Special Purposes" would be "al-lugha al-3arabiyya  
li-'aghraaD khaaSSa" [in his somewhat unconvincing transliteration it  
was: al-Lugha al-'Arabiyya li-'Aghraad  Khaassaa]. If one Raji Rammuny  
can say so, then we maybe should open a long and fruitful discussion  
in this very field. Should we start from the beginning?

Best,
Srpko Lestaric

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