Translating idiomatic English phrasal verbs into Arabic

This study concerns itself with a linguistic contrastive analysis of one particular characteristic of grammar and vocabulary in both English and Arabic languages. That is, combinations of proper verbs with adverbial and/or prepositional particle(s), which are commonly known as: phrasal verbs. In addition, the thesis attempts to approve the fact that there are fundamental similarities and dissimilarities between English and Arabic phrasal verbs. Such similarities and dissimilarities are investigated at length through a theoretical comparison of these combinations in both languages. The main hypothesis of the study is that there are wide ranges of difficulties posed to Arabic professional translators and Arabic translation students when translating idiomatic English phrasal verbs into Arabic. Exploring such difficulties is the principle aim of the study. The other aim is to propose a number of recommendations for professional translators, lexicographers and pedagogues. Such recommendations are based on a range of findings arrived at from the empirical research carried out in the study. A linguistic contrastive analysis model for the analysis and translation of idiomatic English phrasal verbs into Arabic is devised in order to establish a yardstick by which the translation quality of such idiomatic expressions can be analysed, compared, evaluated and assessed. Translation tests are conducted to identify types of errors and translational pitfalls made by Arabic professional translators and Arabic translation students when handling the most problematic and challenging idiomatic English phrasal verbs. The results revealed that there are in fact lots of difficulties encountered by Arabic professional translators and Arabic translation students when dealing with the phenomenon of idiomatic English phrasal verbs. The most important aspect of such difficulties is the failure to achieve functional-pragmatic equivalents of such verbs. Overtly erroneous errors such as: literal translation, mistranslating, reducing idioms to sense and breaching of the Arabic language system, along with covertly erroneous errors, such as wrong Arabic collocation, shift of register, incorrect delivery of speech acts, usage of paraphrasing and usage of Arabic colloquial and regional dialects, were the major reasons behind the failure of delivering the appropriate functional pragmatic equivalents of the idiomatic English phrasal verbs listed in the translation tests