Language Conventions of Kurdish Scientific Books in the Context of Scientific Translation between English and Kurdish

Authors

  • Daban Mohammed Haji Department of Translation, College of Languages, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani,Kurdistan Region –F.R. Iraq
  • Umed Qadir Muhammad Ameen Department of Translation, College of Languages, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani,Kurdistan Region –F.R. Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21928/juhd.v10n2y2024.pp58-64

Keywords:

Scientific translation, Language of science, Language conventions, KSBs

Abstract

This paper explores the language conventions of Kurdish Scientific Books (KSBs) within the context of scientific translation between English and Central Kurdish. The study analyses five KSBs to investigate their language characteristics, including clarity, precision, formality, use of terminology, style and so forth. The current study utilizes Lambert and van Gorp’s (1985/2006) four-step scheme for analysing and describing the KSBs. The findings reveal that KSBs generally employ clear and precise language, maintain objectivity and formality, and make use of nominalization and scientific terminology. The KSBs generally favour incomplete sentences in titles and figures, and, in the body of the sections and chapters, prefer long sentences and active voice and avoid direct quotations, abbreviations, acronyms, and personal pronouns. They also incorporate English loanwords and terms to fill lexical lacunae, indicating the influence of the English scientific language. This research accordingly sheds light on the language conventions of KSBs and their potential similarities to the English scientific language.

References

Alley, M. (2018). The Craft of Scientific Writing. 4th ed. New York: Springer.

Banks, D. (2017).The extent to which the passive voice is used in the scientific journal article, 1985–2015. Functional Linguist. 4, 12 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40554-017-0045-5

Bell, R. T. (1991). Translation and Translating: Theory and Practice. New York: Longman.

Bolton, K. (2018). HW0228 Scientific Communication II: Student’s course guide. Routledge.

Carraway, L. N. (2009). Improve scientific writing and avoid perishing. The American Midland Naturalist, 161(2), 361–370. doi:10.1674/0003-0031-161.2.361

Day, R. A. & Gastel, B. (2012). How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. 7th ed. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.

Halliday, M. (2004). The Language of Science. London and New York: Continuum.

Hofmann, M. (2019). Sentence Structure in Scientific Writing: Balancing Short and Long Sentences. Journal of Scientific Communication, 24(1), 45-59.

Inzunza, E. R. (2020). Reconsidering the use of the passive voice in scientific writing. The American Biology Teacher, 82(8), 563–565. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2020.82.8.563

Lambert, J. and van Gorp, H. (1985/2006). ‘on describing translations’. In: Delabastita et al (eds.) Functional Approaches to Culture and Translation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, pp. 37-47.

Lindsay, D. (2020). Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words. Australia: CSIRO Publishing.

Milne, C., (2011). The Invention of Science: Why History of Science Matters for the Classroom. Rotterdam/Boston/Taipei: Sense Publishers.

Montgomery, S. L. (2000). Science in Translation: Movements of Knowledge through Cultures and Time. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.

Montgomery, S.L. (2009). ‘English and Science: realities and issues for translation in the age of an expanding lingua franca’. The Journal of Specialised Translation, 11: pp.6–16.

Montgomery, S. L., (2017). The Chicago Guide to Writing Science. 2nd ed. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press.

Olohan, M., & Salama-Carr, M. (2011). Translating Science. The Translator, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2011.10799485

Pérez-Llantada, C., & Ferguson, G. (2011). English as a GloCalization Phenomenon. Observations from a Linguistic Microcosm. València: Universitat de València.

Penrose, A. M., & Katz, S., B. (2004). Writing in the Sciences: Exploring Conventions of Scientific Discourse. (1st ed.). United Kingdom: Longman.

Saldanha, G. and O'Brien, S. (2013). Research Methodologies in Translation Studies. London: Routledge.

Smith, K., Todd, M., & Waldman, J. (2009). Doing Your Undergraduate Social Science Dissertation: A Student’s Handbook. (1st ed.). Routledge.

Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre Analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

University of Washington. (2014). Using quotations in Scientific Writing. https://psych.uw.edu/storage/writing_center/quotes.pdf

Yamazaki, A. K. (2000). The Pragmatic Function of Modal Verbs in Scientific Papers. The report of the Tokyo University of Fisheries, 17-29.

Published

2024-04-23

How to Cite

Haji, D. M., & Muhammad Ameen, U. Q. (2024). Language Conventions of Kurdish Scientific Books in the Context of Scientific Translation between English and Kurdish. Journal of University of Human Development, 10(2), 58–64. https://doi.org/10.21928/juhd.v10n2y2024.pp58-64

Issue

Section

Articles