فصلنامه مطالعات زبان و ترجمه
سال چهل و ششم شماره 1 (بهار 1392)

The purpose of the present study was to explore the impact of task-based translation teaching on the development of translation competence (TC). To do so، in the first phase of the study، a questionnaire of translation competence acquisition (TCA) was developed and validated for the Iranian context using Cronbach’s coefficient alpha and Confirmatory Factor Analysis as assessed by LISREL 8. 8 and SPSS 16. In the second phase، two main types of translation tasks، i. e. technical tasks، and textual tasks، were selected and applied on the participants of two experimental groups. At the beginning and at the end of the treatment، both experimental groups received the TC questionnaire. The statistical analysis of the data revealed that there was a strong statistical difference between the mean score of TC in pretest and posttest. Also، considering TC components in Expansion and Semantic group (ESG)، there was a considerable and statistically meaningful increase from pretest to posttest. Likewise، as for all TC components in Generic Texts group (GT)، there was a substantial and statistically meaningful raise from pretest to posttest. Finally، all TC components were compared individually in both ESG and GT groups to find out in which group the increase of TC components were statistically meaningful. The results showed that bilingual and instrumental sub-components had more significant growth in ESG group، while the other four components grew predominantly in GT group.

Translation is the transmission of one linguistic system into another، on all linguistic and metalinguistic levels. The same process is true in the translation of The Holly Qur’an، which is regarded as God''s word and carries the most prominent message for mankind’s guidance. As a consequence، in the translation of The Holy Qur’an no linguistic or metalinguistic level should be distorted. To investigate such instances، two Surahs (translated by three translators: one by a Muslim Shiite، another by a Muslim Sunni and the last one by a Christian translator) have been selected to be evaluated on the level of discursive constraints using Hatim and Mason''s (1990) framework of discourse analysis. The results of the analysis showed that most limitations imposed on translation were at the level of transitivity، and the least imposed discursive limitations were at lexical cohesion level. It can also be concluded that if the translator is well aware of Qur’anic language and its rhetorical content، he can preserve the formal properties of each verse and therefore become only confined to semantic expansion، reduction and recurrence. As such، he can be more successful in his rendering with fewer limitations.